Board Takes New Expedited Cases on Post-Election Violence in Venezuela
August 22, 2024
Today, the Oversight Board has announced it will be reviewing two cases together about the post-election crisis in Venezuela on an expedited basis.
The Board takes on expedited review in “exceptional circumstances, including when content could result in urgent real-world consequences,” as per our bylaws.
Following Venezuela’s presidential election on July 28, 2024, the country has been in turmoil. After the government claimed victory in widely disputed results, thousands of people protested, leading to the country’s current leader Nicolás Maduro to call for an “iron fist” response. Online, the government has moved to block social media platforms and encouraged citizens to report protesters to authorities. Offline, thousands have been detained, with state-supported armed groups known as “colectivos” [collectives] joining this crackdown.
In the weeks after the election, Meta’s moderators noted an influx of anti-colectivo content. This has raised critical questions about the balance the company must strike in moderating posts that could contain vital political criticism and raise awareness of human rights abuses in a repressive environment yet may also employ violent language during such a volatile period.
The Board has worked to review more cases, faster. This will be the second time the Board has used this expedited process, which is designed to help the Board and Meta address urgent situations. This decision will be published within 30 days.
Anti-Colectivos Content in Post-Election Venezuela
2024-048-FB-MR, 2024-049-IG-MR
In the first case, a user posted a short video to Facebook showing a group of men on motorbikes, who are understood to be colectivos, and people running on the street. The man filming shouts that people are being attacked. The accompanying caption in Spanish calls out security forces for not defending the people and that they should go and “kill those damn colectivos.” Meta removed this post under its Violence and Incitement rules as a call to action to commit high-severity violence.
In the second case, a video was posted to Instagram showing footage taken from an apartment block. The video captures colectivos on motorbikes pulling up to the block, with one woman heard saying that they see them trying to get into the apartment. Among other shouts, the person filming says: “Go to hell! I hope they kill you all!” Meta reviewed this video but found it did not violate its Violence and Incitement rules. According to the company, this content differed to the post in the first case because it was not a direct call to action.
Meta then referred both cases to the Board for expedited review.
What Happens Next?
A panel of Board Members will now deliberate these two cases together and issue one decision, which will be binding on Meta and inform the company’s approach to this type of content in Venezuela more generally.
Due to time constraints, the Board is not able to consider public comments for expedited cases. The decision will be published on our website within 30 days of this announcement.
