A panel of independent reviewers is suggesting that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, reverse two recent choices to delete content “sharing information about the human hardship experienced by both sides” in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

In both scenarios, Meta ultimately restored the posts – one featuring Palestinian casualties and the other involving an Israeli hostage – independently, but with the addition of warning screens due to their violent nature. This indicates that the company is not required to take action based on the board’s ruling.

The board expressed disagreement with Meta’s choice to prevent the mentioned posts from being promoted on Facebook and Instagram, even if they were meant to bring attention to certain issues. They also criticized Meta’s use of automated tools to remove potentially harmful content, stating that it could lead to valuable posts being taken down. The board urged the company to preserve this type of content, as it may contain evidence of human rights violations.

The Oversight Board, created by Meta three years ago, announced its rulings on Tuesday in what it claimed was its inaugural expedited decision, completing the process in 12 days instead of the usual 90.

The board stated that in one instance, Instagram took down a video depicting the aftermath of an attack near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. The video showed injured or deceased Palestinians, including children. The automated systems of Meta, the parent company of Instagram, removed the post for violating their rules against violent and graphic content. Although Meta later reversed their decision, the board noted that they had placed a warning screen on the post and reduced its visibility, resulting in fewer users seeing it. The board expressed disagreement with the choice to decrease the video’s visibility.

The second instance involves a video that was shared on Facebook of an Israeli woman pleading with her captors to spare her life during the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7.

After Meta removed certain posts, users challenged the decision and brought their cases to the Oversight Board. The board noted a significant rise in appeals related to the Middle East and North Africa region in the weeks after Oct. 7.

The decision made by the board was welcomed by Meta.

“We value both expression and safety for our users and ourselves. The board has reversed Meta’s initial choice to remove this content, but has agreed to restore it with a warning screen. As Meta had already reinstated the content, no further action will be taken. The board did not make any additional recommendations in their decision, so there will be no further updates on this case.”

During a meeting discussing the instances, the panel announced that Meta acknowledged temporarily decreasing the standards for automated systems to identify and eliminate possibly infringing material.

According to the Oversight Board, the changes made to reduce the presence of harmful content have also resulted in a higher chance of unintentionally removing non-violating content from Meta’s platforms. As of December 11, Meta has not reverted back to the previous levels set on October 7.

In 2020, Facebook, previously known as Meta, created the Oversight Board in light of complaints that it was not taking swift action to eliminate false information, offensive language, and manipulative campaigns from its platforms. The board consists of 22 members from different countries, ranging from legal professionals to human rights advocates and journalists.

The decisions made by the board, as seen in these two instances, must be followed. However, their general policy conclusions are merely recommendations and Meta is not required to abide by them.

Source: wral.com