News & Articles | Oversight Board

The Oversight Board has overturned Meta’s original decision to remove a Facebook post from a news outlet page reporting a positive announcement from the Taliban regime in Afghanistan on women and girls’ education.

The Oversight Board has overturned Meta’s original decision to remove a Facebook post of a cartoon depicting police violence in Colombia.

Today we are issuing a transparency report for the first quarter of 2022. This shows that in Q1 2022 (January 1 to March 31, 2022) the number of appeals sent to the Board by users increased by two thirds compared to the previous quarter, with nearly 480,000 cases submitted.

Today, the Oversight Board announced that it has accepted a request from Meta for a policy advisory opinion on its removal of COVID-19 misinformation. The Board also announced new cases for consideration concerning gender identity and nudity, hate speech and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and UK drill music.

Today the Oversight Board Trust announced that Meta has made a commitment that provides for ongoing financial support for the Oversight Board. As part of that commitment, the company will make a $150 million contribution to the Trust.

Today, we are publishing our first Annual Report, which covers the period from October 2020, when we started accepting appeals, through December 2021. This describes the progress we have made in improving how Meta treats users and other affected populations around the world – and points to how much more work there is to do.

The Oversight Board has overturned Meta's original decision to leave a post on Facebook which depicted ethnic Serbs as rats. While Meta eventually removed the post for violating its Hate Speech policy, about 40 moderators had previously decided that the content did not violate this policy.

The Oversight Board has overturned Meta’s original decision to remove an Instagram post which, according to the user, showed pictures of Arabic words which can be used in a derogatory way towards men with “effeminate mannerisms.” The content was covered by an exception to Meta’s Hate Speech policy and should not have been removed.

The Oversight Board has upheld Meta’s decision to restore a Facebook post depicting violence against a civilian in Sudan. The content raised awareness of human rights abuses and had significant public interest value. The Board recommended that Meta add a specific exception on raising awareness of or documenting human rights abuses to the Violent and Graphic Content Community Standard.

Today, the Oversight Board is announcing the appointment of three new Board Members from Egypt, Mexico, and the United States.

Meta has informed the Oversight Board that the company would be withdrawing an earlier request for policy guidance concerning content moderation issues related to Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine. In taking this action, the company cited specific ongoing safety and security concerns.

Today, the Board is announcing three new cases for consideration. As part of this, we are inviting people and organizations to submit public comments.

Today, the Board is announcing three new cases for consideration: a cartoon related to Croatia, a graphic video depicting a civilian victim of violence in Sudan, and a post where the user attempts to reclaim certain Arabic words.

Today, the Oversight Board has published a policy advisory opinion on the sharing of private residential information. Among its recommendations, the Board proposes that Meta remove the exception to the Privacy Violations Community Standard that allows the sharing of private residential information when it is considered “publicly available.”

The Oversight Board has overturned Meta’s decision to remove a post describing incidents of sexual violence against two minors. The Board found that the post did not violate the Community Standard on Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Nudity. The broader context of the post makes it clear that the user was reporting on an issue of public interest and condemning the sexual exploitation of a minor.

The Oversight Board has overturned Meta’s original decision to remove a Facebook post which asked for advice on how to talk to a doctor about the prescription medication Adderall®. The Board did not find any direct or immediate connection between the content and the possibility of harm.

The Oversight Board has upheld Meta’s original decision to remove a post alleging the involvement of ethnic Tigrayan civilians in atrocities in Ethiopia’s Amhara region. However, as Meta restored the post after the user’s appeal to the Board, the company must once again remove the content from the platform.

Today we are issuing a transparency report for the third quarter of 2021.

The Oversight Board has overturned Meta’s decision to remove a post discussing the plant-based brew ayahuasca. The Board found that the post did not violate Instagram’s Community Guidelines as they were articulated at the time. Meta’s human rights responsibilities also supported restoring the content. The Board recommended that Meta change Facebook and Instagram’s rules to allow users to discuss the traditional or religious uses of non-medical drugs in a positive way.

The Oversight Board has overturned Meta’s original decision to remove a Facebook post from an Indigenous North American artist that was removed under Facebook’s Hate Speech Community Standard. The Board found that the content is covered by allowances to the Hate Speech policy as it is intended to raise awareness of historic crimes against Indigenous people in North America.

In October, the Board accepted a request from Meta, in the form of a policy advisory opinion, to review the company’s cross-check system and make recommendations on how it can be changed. Today, the Board is opening public comments for this policy advisory opinion.

Today, the Board is announcing three new cases for consideration, as well as changes to our Bylaws.

Over the last several weeks, media reporting has drawn renewed attention to the seemingly inconsistent way in which Facebook makes decisions, and why greater transparency and independent oversight of Facebook matter so much for users. As part of the Board's commitment to transparency, today we are publishing our first quarterly transparency reports.

In the last few weeks, new information about Facebook’s approach to content moderation has come to light as a result of the actions of a former Facebook employee, Frances Haugen.

The Oversight Board has upheld Facebook’s decision to remove a post discussing South African society under its Hate Speech Community Standard. The Board found that the post contained a slur which, in the South African context, was degrading, excluding and harmful to the people it targeted.

The Oversight Board has overturned Facebook’s decision to remove a post showing a video of protesters in Colombia criticizing the country’s president, Ivan Duque. In the video, the protesters use a word designated as a slur under Facebook’s Hate Speech Community Standard. Assessing the public interest value of this content, the Board found that Facebook should have applied the newsworthiness allowance in this case.

Last week, new information emerged on Facebook’s ‘cross-check’ system, which the company uses to review content decisions relating to some high-profile users. This information came to light due to the reporting of the Wall Street Journal, and we are grateful to the efforts of journalists who have shed greater light on issues that are relevant to the Board’s mission.

Today, the Board has announced three new cases for consideration covering Africa, South America and North America.

The Oversight Board agrees that Facebook was correct to reverse its original decision to remove content on Facebook that shared a news post about a threat of violence from the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian group Hamas. Facebook originally removed the content under the Dangerous Individuals and Organizations Community Standard, and restored it after the Board selected this case for review.

The Oversight Board has upheld Facebook’s decision to leave up a post by a state-level medical council in Brazil which claimed that lockdowns are ineffective and had been condemned by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Oversight Board has overturned Facebook’s decision to remove a post in Burmese under its Hate Speech Community Standard. The Board found that the post did not target Chinese people, but the Chinese state. Specifically, it used profanity to reference Chinese governmental policy in Hong Kong as part of a political discussion on the Chinese government’s role in Myanmar.

Today the Board is announcing two new cases related to Colombia and South Africa. In both cases, Facebook removed the content under its Hate Speech Community Standard.

The Oversight Board has overturned Facebook’s original decision to remove an Instagram post encouraging people to discuss the solitary confinement of Abdullah Öcalan, a founding member of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). After the user appealed and the Board selected the case for review, Facebook concluded that the content was removed in error and restored it.

The Oversight Board has announced a new case. In May, a Facebook user in Egypt shared a post by a verified Al Jazeera news page about the escalating violence in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Today, the Board announced it has accepted a policy advisory opinion request from Facebook on the sharing of private residential information. As part of this, the Board has issued a call for public comments.

We have issued a statement on Facebook’s response to our decision involving former US President Donald Trump.

Today the Board is announcing a new case for consideration.

The Oversight Board has overturned Facebook’s decision to remove a comment in which a supporter of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny called another user a “cowardly bot.” Facebook removed the comment for using the word “cowardly” which was construed as a negative character claim.

The Oversight Board has overturned Facebook’s decision to remove a comment under its Hate Speech Community Standard. A majority of the Board found it fell into Facebook’s exception for content condemning or raising awareness of hatred.

Today, in addition to publishing our decision on case 2021-005-FB-UA, the Board is announcing a new case for consideration.

The Board has upheld Facebook’s decision on January 7, 2021, to restrict then-President Donald Trump’s access to posting content on his Facebook page and Instagram account. However, it was not appropriate for Facebook to impose the indeterminate and standardless penalty of indefinite suspension. Facebook’s normal penalties include removing the violating content, imposing a time-bound period of suspension, or permanently disabling the page and account.

The Oversight Board has overturned Facebook’s decision to remove a post under its Dangerous Individuals and Organizations Community Standard. After the Board identified this case for review, Facebook restored the content. The Board expressed concerns that Facebook did not review the user’s appeal against its original decision. The Board also urged the company to take action to avoid mistakes which silence the voices of religious minorities.

The Board has announced the addition of a new member from the United States, Suzanne Nossel, as well as a new case for consideration.

From today, users will be able to appeal content to the Oversight Board which they want removed from Facebook and Instagram.

The Oversight Board has upheld Facebook’s decision to remove specific content that violated the express prohibition on posting caricatures of Black people in the form of blackface, contained in its Hate Speech Community Standard.

Today, the Board is announcing new cases as well as changes to the Bylaws which govern our work.

The Oversight Board has overturned Facebook’s decision to remove a post under its Violence and Incitement Community Standard. While the company considered that the post contained a veiled threat, a majority of the Board believed it should be restored. This decision should only be implemented pending user notification and consent.

Having recently announced our next round of cases, the Board has now selected an additional case for consideration.

Following the publication of our first case decisions, the Board is announcing its next cases and opening the public comments process. Two cases have been selected by the Board, including the case accepted by the Board last week relating to former US President Trump’s indefinite suspension from Facebook and Instagram.

Today, the Oversight Board is announcing its first decisions. In the five case decisions published today, the Board overturned four of Facebook’s decisions, upheld one and issued nine policy recommendations to the company. The cases covered four continents: Asia, Europe, North America and South America. None of these cases had easy answers and deliberations revealed the enormous complexity of the issues involved.

The Oversight Board has overturned Facebook’s decision to remove a post which it claimed, “contributes to the risk of imminent… physical harm.” The Board found Facebook’s misinformation and imminent harm rule (part of its Violence and Incitement Community Standard) to be inappropriately vague and recommended, among other things, that the company create a new Community Standard on health misinformation.

The Oversight Board has overturned Facebook’s decision to remove a post which the company claims violated its Community Standard on Dangerous Individuals and Organizations. The Board found that these rules were not made sufficiently clear to users.

The Oversight Board has overturned Facebook’s decision to remove a post on Instagram. After the Board selected this case, Facebook restored the content. Facebook’s automated systems originally removed the post for violating the company’s Community Standard on Adult Nudity and Sexual Activity. The Board found that the post was allowed under a policy exception for “breast cancer awareness” and Facebook’s automated moderation in this case raises important human rights concerns.

The Oversight Board has upheld Facebook’s decision to remove a post containing a demeaning slur which violated Facebook’s Community Standard on Hate Speech.

The Oversight Board has overturned Facebook’s decision to remove a post under its Hate Speech Community Standard. The Board found that, while the post might be considered offensive, it did not reach the level of hate speech.

Today the Oversight Board accepted a case referral from Facebook to examine their decision to indefinitely suspend former US President Donald Trump’s access to post content on Facebook and Instagram. Facebook has also requested policy recommendations from the Board on suspensions when the user is a political leader.

Today the Oversight Board is releasing the outcome of a human rights report requested by the Board and delivered by the non-profit organization Business for Social Responsibility (BSR). We are also publishing our procedures for how Board Members select and review cases, as well as how they make policy recommendations to Facebook.

This week, the Oversight Board announced the first cases it will be deliberating and the opening of the public comment process. Today, the Board selected an additional case for consideration.

Today, the Oversight Board is announcing the first cases it will be deliberating and the opening of the public comment process. The Board is also announcing the appointment of five new trustees.

Today we're announcing an important milestone in the progress of the Oversight Board. From today, if your content is removed from Facebook or Instagram and you have exhausted the company's appeal process, you can challenge this decision by appealing to the Oversight Board. Similarly, Facebook can now refer cases for a decision about whether content should remain up or come down. In the coming months you will also be able to appeal to the Board about content you want Facebook to remove.

This update shares our progress in setting up the Oversight Board, and the pathway towards the Board hearing its first case over the coming months.

Today the impact of social media on people’s lives is hard to grasp. This can often be positive. As the world lives through a global health crisis, social media has become a lifeline for helping people and communities to stay connected become a lifeline for helping people and communities to stay connected.