Frequently Asked Questions

The Oversight Board is a body of experts from around the world that exercises independent judgment and makes binding decisions on what content should be allowed on Facebook and Instagram. Its decisions are based on whether Meta’s content enforcement is consistent with the company’s policies, values and human rights commitments. The Board also makes policy recommendations rooted in freedom of expression and other human rights principles, which significantly shape Meta’s policies when fully implemented.

Board Members review content that has been left up on Facebook and Instagram as well as content that has been removed by Meta from those platforms. At the Board’s discretion, the final decision may include policy recommendations, which Meta must respond to. In 2022, the Board’s scope was expanded to include the ability to add warning screens to eligible content. Independent of any pending cases, Meta may also request guidance from the Board via policy advisory opinion requests. 

The structure created for the Oversight Board is designed to ensure the independence of Board Members and allow them to make judgments free from influence or interference by Meta. Board Members do not contract with Meta, are not Meta employees and cannot be removed by Meta. The Board has its own independent set of procedures, and its own separate staff to support the case decisions issued by Board Members. The Oversight Board Trust is irrevocable and its Trustees serve in a fiduciary capacity to protect the purpose of the trust. 

In 2019, Meta (then Facebook) established an irrevocable trust and transferred $130 million for the set-up and operations of the Oversight Board to the Trustees. On July 22, 2022, Meta announced additional funding of $150 million to be transferred to the Trustees as part of a commitment to provide ongoing financial support to the Oversight Board. 

Board Members do not include current or former employees or contingent workers of Meta or the company’s platforms.

To submit an appeal, individuals must have an active account on the service on which the content was posted. This means that the account cannot be disabled and the person must be able to log into it. The person submitting the appeal must have already requested that Facebook or Instagram review the content decision and received a final decision.

Board Members select which cases to review based on complexity and global significance. While we can only review a small number of cases, we continue to select cases that raise underlying issues facing large numbers of users around the world and make recommendations to address them.

No. The Oversight Board may receive some of the follow information about individuals who submit appeals, such as their names, locations, age or gender.

If the Board reviews a case, it will produce a written explanation of its final decision, which will be available for the public to read on this website. People whose content is selected for review may choose to give permission for details that could easily identify them to be shared in that written statement. This permission may be withdrawn at any time.

If permission is not given, the written statement will be reviewed before it is released to the public to remove details that could easily identify them.

The following privacy notice provides further information on the processing activities that take place when you submit an appeal: Data Policy for the Oversight Board’s Data Processing Activities

These details include:

• your first name and surname
• the city you live in
• your profile picture (or a description of it)
• your cover photo (or a description of it)
• your follower and friend counts
• the date your Facebook or Instagram account was created
• the locations that you have chosen to indicate on your account

If you submit an appeal or provide the Oversight Board with further context about an appeal on your content, you will be asked whether you give permission for the Board to share details that could easily identify you in the public, in the written explanation of its final decision.

If you later wish to withdraw this consent, you can go to Case status and do so. If the Oversight Board has already published a decision on your case, the Board will remove the explanation from this website and take out details that could easily identify you. We will also take steps to remove more general details about you that could help readers to identify you. The Oversight Board will then repost the new, edited explanation. Please note that the Oversight Board cannot change any commentary about the case that has already been published by other people or organizations.

Data with special protections is information about your racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, health, sex life or sexual orientation, criminal conviction or offences. This information is subject to special protections, including under EU law.

If you submit an appeal or provide the Oversight Board with further context about an appeal on your content, you will be asked whether you give permission to let Meta process data with special protections that you choose to provide about yourself. If you later wish to withdraw this consent, you can go to Case status and choose “delete my information.”

You will also be asked whether you give permission for the Oversight Board to share data with special protections about you in the public, written explanation of its final decision. If you later wish to withdraw this permission, you can go to Case status and do so. If the Oversight Board has already published a decision on your case, the Board will remove the explanation from this website and take out your data with special protections. The Oversight Board will then repost the new, edited explanation. Please note that the Oversight Board cannot change any commentary about this case that has already been published by other people or organizations.

People who have appealed can check the status of their case on the Oversight Board's website by logging in through the Track Your Appeal function. When your case has been selected, you will receive a notification from the Board. You will also receive a notification when a decision on your case is issued by the Board. The written explanation of the final decision will be available for the public to read on this website when it is published.

The reference ID begins with FB or IG followed by eight numbers and letters. Meta will provide a reference ID if one of its content decisions on Facebook or Instagram is eligible for appeal to the Oversight Board. You must have this reference ID in order to submit an appeal.

If the decision is not eligible for appeal, you will not see a reference ID.