The Oversight Board of Meta has declared it will expedite two cases related to content takedowns on Facebook and Instagram, associated with the current Israel-Hamas conflict. These cases mark the first time the independent board has chosen to speed up a review, enabling it to reach a decision within 48 hours, a significant reduction from the usual weeks or even months-long process.
The board has witnessed a spike in appeals corresponding with the onset of the conflict, noting an almost three-fold daily average increase in appeals related to the Middle East and North Africa. The two selected cases, one each from Facebook and Instagram, were chosen as they “address important questions relating to the conflict and represent wider issues affecting Facebook and Instagram users.”
Initially, Meta removed the posts in both cases, later restoring them. One case involved an Instagram post from early November, seemingly depicting the aftermath of an airstrike near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Meta initially deleted the post citing its violent content regulations, but later reinstated the post with a warning screen after the Oversight Board agreed to consider the case.
The other case on Facebook pertains to a video of Israeli hostages taken during the October 7 attacks in Israel. Meta pulled the video invoking its dangerous organization and violence and incitement policy. According to the Oversight Board, Meta subsequently “revised its policy guidance in response to trends in how hostage kidnapping videos were being shared and reported on” after the October 7 attacks.
The Oversight Board anticipates making decisions on these cases within 30 days. In line with other Oversight Board cases, Meta is obligated to abide by the board’s decision regarding the appealed content’s presence on its platform. Although the board will provide a string of policy recommendations to the company, Meta is not obliged to enforce these changes.
Nonetheless, the board’s suggestions in these particular cases will likely be closely observed as Meta faces growing scrutiny over its content moderation decisions amid the ongoing conflict. Meta tried to dismiss allegations of having “shadowbanned” Instagram users for sharing posts about the conditions in Gaza, later attributing some of the issues to an unspecified “bug.”
The Oversight Board has previously raised concerns about the company’s content management related to conflicts between Israel and Hamas. An independent report commissioned by Meta last year, following a board recommendation, identified inconsistencies in the company’s moderation practices that violated the Palestinians’ freedom of expression rights in 2021. Meta pledged to revise several of its regulations in response to the report, including its Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy.
