Oversight Board

The Board has selected new cases involving content posted about the assassination of Mexican mayoral candidate, José Alfredo Cabrera Barrientos during a campaign rally. The content, posted on Facebook and Instagram, features videos of the assassination, with some images blurred and gunshots audible. These posts, by Latin American media outlets, created debate over Meta’s content policies on violent events. Two of the posts were allowed by Meta due to their newsworthy nature, while others were removed due to a policy against sharing third-party images showing the moment of violent attacks on visible victims. Meta classified the assassination under its Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy as a violating violent event. While all the posts were initially identified by a Media Matching Service (MMS) bank, Meta’s experts allowed the first two videos to remain on its platforms due to their public interest, labeling them as “disturbing.” The third and fourth posts, however, were removed, and their creators appealed, claiming the footage was important for reporting violence. The Board selected these cases to look at how content showing political violence can impact elections. 🔹 Public Comments Public comments are open until October 17. The Board would appreciate public comments that address: 🔹 The impact of violent imagery on electoral processes and public discourse around elections. 🔹 The extent and nature of electoral violence, particularly against politicians, during Mexico’s 2024 general election. 🔹 Mexico’s media environment and the role of social media in providing information about election processes. 🔹 Use of social media by criminal organizations, including the role of assassination videos. 🔹 Media standards in Mexico on depicting death or graphic violence in news reporting. If you or your organization feel you can contribute valuable perspectives that can help with reaching a decision on our new cases, you can submit your comment on our website - www.oversightboard.com #Mexico #Meta #Facebook #Instagram #ContentModeration

Today at 5pm, our Board member, Julie Owono, is joining Teijas KY for the next session in the Aspen Institute UK Webinar Series on AI Leadership and Ethics. She will be discussing our report, 'Content Moderation in a New Era for AI and Automation.' Register for the webinar here: https://lnkd.in/effpYCpZ

“Social media platforms play a central role in public discourse, but they also spread disinformation, can incite violence and ultimately even influence the electoral process in an unintended day.” Our Board Member, Afia Asantewaa Asare-Kyei, speaking alongside UNESCO Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Richard Ngamita on election integrity in the African context. #FIFAfrica24 #InternetFreedomAfrica

The Board’s Pamela San Martín briefing our session on AI and safeguarding elections at #Concordia24. ICYMI, you can get our latest white papers on these critical issues here: https://lnkd.in/esHfZ2TA

Oversight Board Co-Chairs, Helle Thorning-Schmidt and Pamela San Martin, speaking at #Concordia24 in NYC on the shifting power dynamics between social media platforms, users, and civil society #UNGA79

The Board has reviewed three cases containing criminal allegations made against people based on nationality, overturning Meta’s decision in one of those cases to remove a post.   The Board recommends changes to Meta’s Hate Speech policy, specifically an exception to be created that uses objective signals to differentiate between content targeting a state and its policies or targeting people. 🔹 About the Cases 1.       A Facebook post called Russians and Americans “criminals.” Meta’s automated systems flagged the post for review, but it was closed automatically, so the content remained on Facebook. Meta reviewed the case three months later, decided it violated the Hate Speech Community Standard and removed it. The user appealed, but Meta upheld the removal after further human review. 2.       A Threads comment said “all Israelis are criminals” in response to a video on the Israel-Gaza conflict. This content was sent to human review by Meta’s automated systems and then removed for violating the Hate Speech rules. 3.       On an Instagram video showing a woman surrounded by men looking at her, a comment described “all Indians” as “rapists.” Meta removed the comment under its Hate Speech rules. The cases highlight the challenge of distinguishing criticism of nations from attacks on people, especially during crises, when criminal allegations “may be interpreted as attacking a nation’s policies, its government or its military rather than its people.” 🔹 Key Findings The Board ruled Meta was wrong to remove the Facebook post about Russians and Americans, as it targeted countries, not citizens. While Meta does not allow dehumanizing speech comparing people to “criminals” based on nationality, this post likely criticized state actions, as also confirmed by an expert report commissioned by the Board. In the two other cases, content about “all Israelis” and “all Indians” were found to target people, not state actions or policies, so Meta’s removals were justified, according to a majority. Some Board Members, however, argued Meta’s response was not necessary because there were less intrusive measures available than removing content. 🔹 Recommendations The Board recommends Meta: ·     Amend its Hate Speech Community Standard to allow a new exception to help determine whether content is targeting state actors rather than people based on nationality. Signals to look out for would include references to actors (e.g., military, police) and/or serious crimes (e.g., atrocity crimes). ·     Publish the results of internal audits on how well human reviewers and automated systems enforce Meta’s Hate Speech policy, with comparisons across languages and/or regions. You can read the full decision below. #ContentModeration #HateSpeech #Meta #Facebook #Instagram

Our Board member, Julie Owono, will be joining Teijas KY for the next session in the Aspen Institute UK Webinar Series on AI Leadership and Ethics. She will be discussing our report, 'Content Moderation in a New Era for AI and Automation.' Register for the webinar here: https://lnkd.in/effpYCpZ

🌐 Exciting Webinar Announcement – October 1st, 2024 🌐 I’m thrilled to invite you to the next session in the Aspen Institute UK Webinar Series on AI Leadership and Ethics. On October 1st, we’ll be diving into a critical discussion on: AI, Free Speech, and Digital Rights: Navigating Ethical Challenges in the Modern Era In today’s digital age, artificial intelligence influences much of what we experience online, from content curation to moderation. With these advancements, protecting fundamental rights like free speech is more important than ever. I’m honored to host Julie Owono, a leading expert in digital rights from the Oversight Board. We'll be discussing her latest publication, "Content Moderation in a New Era for AI and Automation", which delves into the complex ethical challenges posed by AI-driven moderation on platforms like Meta. This document will serve as the focal point of our conversation, exploring how to ensure ethical AI deployment while safeguarding digital rights and freedoms. Key topics include: - The impact of AI on free speech and content moderation. - Balancing innovation with human rights protections. - The role of leaders in advocating for ethical policies in AI. 📅 Date: October 1st, 2024 ⏰ Time: 5:00 PM BST 🎙️ Guest Speaker: Julie Owono 📝 Read the Oversight Board’s publication (attached) 🔗 Register for the webinar here: https://lnkd.in/e8_JjaX2 Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from thought leaders at the intersection of AI, digital rights, and ethical leadership! #AI #FreeSpeech #DigitalRights #Ethics #AspenUK #AIEthics #Innovation #FutureOfTech #Leadership #Aspeninstitute Simona Sikimic-French

Our latest newsletter is out! 📬 "Across the Board" is our monthly newsletter filled with updates about our cases, decisions, and stakeholder engagement activities. This month: • We have released a report on Content Moderation in a New Era for AI and Automation. • We have issued an expedited decision on post-election violence in Venezuela. • And finally, an update on our case announcements and decisions. Read more here ↓ #newsletter #updates #technology

We are attending the Concordia Summit in New York! Oversight Board Members, Trustees and staff will be at the Concordia Summit in New York next week, and setting up key events and conversations on protecting human rights online, moderating content in elections, new regulation coming in around the world, and the role of AI in all of the above. If you're going to be in New York, and want to hear more about our events, drop us an email at engagement@osbadmin.com https://lnkd.in/gSTstujU