Oversight Board

Today, the Oversight Board has issued an expedited decision around two cases about post-election violence in Venezuela. These two cases involve videos posted after the July 2024 presidential election and during the ongoing protests that followed, referencing state-supported armed groups known as “colectivos,” involved in the crackdown on protesters.   🔹 Case 1: The Board agrees with Meta’s decision to keep a post on Instagram, showing a group of armed men on motorbikes pulling up to an apartment complex. A woman can be heard shouting that the colectivos are trying to enter the building. The person filming shouts “Go to hell! I hope they kill you all!” Meta found this content did not violate its Violence and Incitement policy because the expression was a conditional or aspirational statement against a violent actor rather than a call to action.   🔹 Case 2: The Board disagrees with Meta’s decision to remove a video showing a group of men on motorbikes, presumably colectivos, and people running on the street. The man filming shouts that the colectivos are attacking them. The video has a caption in Spanish calling out the security forces for not defending the people and saying that the security forces should go and “kill those damn colectivos.”   Given the context—where security forces are linked to the colectivos and involved in repressing the opposition—the user’s post is better understood as a desperate cry of frustration and fear, not a credible threat.   The Board finds neither post violates Meta’s content policies and, in the context of the ongoing crisis in Venezuela, allowing both pieces of content is consistent with Meta’s values and human rights responsibilities.   🔹 Key findings:   The Board is deeply concerned that Meta’s policy of limiting the spread of political content could prevent users who are expressing political dissent or raising awareness about the situation in Venezuela from reaching a broad audience. The Board suggests that Meta's Crisis Policy Protocol should include a rule to ensure political content, especially around elections and protests, can reach as many people as non-political content. The Board also emphasizes that it’s crucial to consider the context to protect political speech, especially in countries facing conflict or restrictions on free speech. When Meta declares a crisis, it should use the Crisis Policy Protocol to better understand how people experiencing state-backed violence communicate on its platforms, like in Venezuela. In situations where democratic dissent is being suppressed, the threats appear non-credible and the risk of online speech leading to real-world violence is low, Meta should adjust its policies and enforcement accordingly. This approach should be regularly reviewed with input from relevant stakeholders.   You can read the Board’s full decision below.   #Venezuela #OversightBoard #Meta #FreedomOfExpression #SocialMediaDecisions

The Board took on three new cases involving different pieces of Facebook content containing the phrase “From the River to the Sea.” Today, we’re publishing our decision that the three pieces of content did not break Meta’s rules on Hate Speech, Violence and Incitement or Dangerous Organizations and Individuals. In the first case, a Facebook user commented on a video posted by a different user. The video’s caption encourages others to “speak up” and includes hashtags such as “#ceasefire” and “#freepalestine.” The user’s comment includes the phrase “FromTheRiverToTheSea” in hashtag form. The Facebook user in the second case posted what is likely to be a generated image of floating watermelon slices forming the phrase, alongside “Palestine will be free.” For the third case, an administrator of a Facebook page reshared a post by a Canadian community organization, which declared support for the Palestinian people and condemned their “senseless slaughter” and “Zionist Israeli occupiers.” In upholding Meta’s decisions to keep up the content, the majority of the Board notes the phrase has multiple meanings and is used by people in various ways and with different intentions. The Board’s decision also emphasizes the importance of data access for the independent monitoring of Meta’s moderation, especially during conflicts. The Board recommends Meta ensure qualified researchers, organizations and journalists, who previously had access to research tool CrowdTangle, are onboarded to the new Meta Content Library within three weeks and ensure its Content Library is an effective replacement. Finally, the Board recommends Meta implement recommendation no. 16 from the BSR Human Rights Due Diligence of Meta’s Impacts in Israel and Palestine report to develop a mechanism to track the frequency of content attacking people based on specific protected characteristics, such as religion. You can read the full decision below. #SocialMedia #Facebook #Instagram  

The Oversight Board has announced new cases related to the debate on gender identity. In the first case, a Facebook user in the United States posted a video of a woman confronting a transgender woman for using the women’s bathroom. The post refers to the person being confronted as a man and asks why it is permitted for them to use a women’s bathroom. In the second case, an Instagram account posted a video of a transgender girl winning a female sports competition in the United States, with some spectators vocally disapproving of the result. The post refers to the athlete as a boy, questioning whether they are female.   Both posts were shared in 2024 and received thousands of views and reactions. They were reported for Hate Speech and Bullying and Harassment multiple times, but Meta left both posts up. After appealing to Meta, two of the users who reported the content appealed to the Board.   Meta’s Hate Speech policy does not include misgendering as a form of prohibited “attack.” Misgendering means referring to a person using a word, especially a pronoun or the way in which they are addressed, that does not reflect their gender identity.   Meta informed the Board that neither post violated its Hate Speech policy, adding that even if the post in the first case could constitute a call for exclusion, it would still be kept up under the newsworthiness allowance.   The Board is accepting public comments for these cases until Thursday 12 September. Read more and submit your comment through the link below:   https://lnkd.in/eCUMa6w5 #genderidentity #humanrights #contentmoderation

The Board has announced it will review two expedited cases about Venezuela. We issue expedited decisions within 30 days in exceptional circumstances, including when content could result in urgent real-world consequences. After the government claimed victory following Venezuela’s presidential election on July 28, 2024, thousands of people protested, leading to the country’s current leader Nicolás Maduro to call for an “iron fist” response. Thousands have since been detained, with state-supported armed groups known as “colectivos” [collectives] joining this crackdown. The influx of anti-colectivo content following the election raises questions about how Meta should moderate posts that could contain vital political criticism and raise awareness of human rights abuses yet may also employ violent language during such a volatile period. In the first case, a Facebook video shows men on motorbikes and people running. A caption criticizes security forces, saying go and “kill those damn colectivos.” Meta removed the post under its Violence and Incitement rules as a call to action to commit high-severity violence. The second case shows an Instagram video. The person, who is filming colectivos pull up to their apartment block, says: “Go to hell! I hope they kill you all!” Meta found this did not violate the rules, different to the first case because it was not a direct call to action. Due to time constraints, the Board is not able to consider public comments for expedited cases. We will publish our decision within 30 days of this announcement. Read more below: https://lnkd.in/ez6pHP42 #Venezuela #ContentModeration #HumanRights

[Eng below] Օգոստոսի 5-ին, Լոֆթ Երևանում, տեղի ունեցավ «Մարդու իրավունքներն առցանց տիրույթում» թեմայով միջոցառումը, որի ժամանակ Oversight Board-ի ներկայացուցիչ Մերի Բաղդասարյանը կիսվեց իր փորձառությամբ և գիտելիքներով:   Միջոցառման ընթացքում քննարկվեցին մի շարք հարցեր առցանց տիրույթում մարդու իրավունքների պաշտպանության վերաբերյալ: Մասնակիցները ծանոթացան Oversight Board-ի գործունեությանն ու մի քանի ուշագրավ գորերին, ներառյալ՝ Հայաստանին վերաբերելի գործերը: Շնորհակալություն ենք հայտնում մեր մասնակիցներին ակտիվ մասնակցության համար և Մերիին՝ իր արժեքավոր փորձառությունը կիսելու համար: English Version: On August 5th, The Loft Yerevan hosted an event on "Human Rights in Virtual Space," featuring Meri Baghdasaryan, LL.M from the Oversight Board, who shared her insights and expertise. During the event, several critical issues concerning the protection of human rights in the virtual space were discussed. Participants learned about the activities of the Meta Oversight Board and explored some intriguing case decisions, including those relevant to Armenia. We extend our gratitude to the participants for their active engagement and to Meri for sharing her invaluable experience. #AILA #ՀՄԻՄ #Oversightboard

[Eng below] Օգոստոսի 5–ին Երեւանում միացեք Armenian International Law Association - AILA-ի «Մարդու իրավունքներն առցանց տիրույթում» հանդիպում-քննարկմանը՝ միասին քննարկելու առցանց տիրույթում մարդու իրավունքների կիրարկման հարցերը⬇ 🗓Գրանցման վերջնաժամկետը 2024թ. օգոստոսի 1-ն է՝ ժամը 23:59: Բոլոր գրանցված մասնակիցները կտեղեկացվեն ընտրության արդյունքների մասին։ Գրանցման համար անցեք հետևյալ հղումով՝ https://lnkd.in/g8xrP5Sh Join us on August 5, in Yerevan, Armenia, in frames of Armenian International Law Association - AILA’s "Human Rights in the Online Domain" meeting to discuss the human rights issues in the online domain⬇ 🗓 The registration deadline is on August 1st, 2024 at 11:59 PM. All registered participants will be informed about the selection results. To register, go to the following link: https://lnkd.in/g8xrP5Sh Oversight Board #humanright #AILA

Our July newsletter is out! 📬 "Across the Board" is our monthly newsletter filled with updates about our cases, decisions, and stakeholder engagement activities. This month: • We have published a new decision about Meta's moderation of AI-generated (#deepfake) explicit images of women. • We have selected a new case about content showing terrorist attacks. • And finally, an update on our recommendations to Meta. Our newsletter will be taking a break in August and will return in September with fresh updates and insights. Read more here ↓ #newsletter #updates #technology

I had the immense honor of presenting the Oversight Board’s latest work at Meta’s reception, organized by the Governance team on the sideline of #TrustCon in San Francisco, together with Jennifer Broxmeyer and the chair of the Oversight Board Trust Steve Neal. I talked about our elections paper, our upcoming automation paper, our first #Threads case, and the independence of our decisions. I will link to all these resources in the comment section, for more information. And I had so much fun catching up with old friends and meet new ones during this week’s TrustCon activities!

In April, the Board took on two new cases regarding Meta’s moderation of AI-generated (#deepfake) explicit images of women. Today, we’re publishing our decision, recommending that Meta make it easier for users to report non-consensual sexualized images. The first case involves an Instagram post featuring an AI-generated nude image of a woman that resembled a public figure from #India. Despite user reports, Meta left the content up until the Board intervened. The second case concerns a Facebook group post with an AI-generated nude image that looks like an #American public figure, in which she is being groped. Meta removed this image for violating its rules on “derogatory sexualized photoshop” or drawings.    The Board finds that both images violated Meta’s “derogatory sexualized photoshop” rule under the Bullying and Harassment policy. These images used real public figures’ faces on nude bodies, with clear indications they were AI-generated or manipulated. Meta’s rules need to be clearer. While “derogatory sexualized photoshop” may be clear to some, it’s not straightforward for everyone. Meta defines it as “manipulated images that are sexualized in unwanted ways.”  The Board recommends using “non-consensual” instead to describe unwanted sexualized image manipulations. Also, the term “photoshop” is too narrow, failing to encompass modern media manipulation techniques, including generative AI. Meta should update its rules accordingly. Deepfake intimate images disproportionately impact women and girls, infringing on their privacy and exposing them to mental and physical harm. Given the severity of these harms, removing such content is crucial for protecting those affected. As part of this decision, the Board recommends that Meta make its rules on this type of content more intuitive and to make it easier for users to report non-consensual sexualized images. You can read the full decision below ↓ #AI #Gender #SocialMedia #Facebook #Instagram #Women

The Oversight Board’s implementation work is highly relevant to how platforms respond to recommendations and data requests, particularly in this new regulatory environment. Come see Carly Miller’s presentation if you’ll be at TrustCon!