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Meta\u2019s Oversight Board has weighed in on the company\u2019s content moderation policies in Venezuela amid violent crackdowns and widespread protests following the country\u2019s disputed presidential election. In its decision, the board said that Facebook users posting about the state-supported armed groups known as \u201ccolectivos\u201d should have more leeway in making statements like \u201ckill those damn colectivos.\u201d<\/p>\n
The company asked the Oversight Board for guidance<\/a> on the issue last month, noting that its moderators had seen an \u201cinflux\u201d of \u201canti-colectivos content\u201d in the wake of the election. Meta specifically asked for the board\u2019s input on two posts: an Instagram post with the words \u201cGo to hell! I hope they kill you all!\u201d that Meta says was directed at the colectivos, and a Facebook post criticizing Venezuela\u2019s security forces that said \u201ckill those damn colectivos.\u201d<\/p>\n The Oversight Board said that neither post violated Meta\u2019s rules around calls for violence and that both should be interpreted as \u201caspirational statements\u201d from citizens of a country where state-supported violence has threatened free expression. \u201cThe targets of aspirational violence are state-backed forces that have contributed to the longstanding repression of civic space and other human rights violations in Venezuela, including in the present post-election crisis,\u201d the board wrote in its decision. \u201cBy contrast, the civilian population has largely been the target of human rights abuses.\u201d<\/p>\n The Oversight Board also criticized Meta\u2019s practice of making political content less visible across its services. \u201cThe Board is also deeply concerned that in the context of Venezuela, the company\u2019s policy to reduce the distribution of political content could undermine the ability of users expressing political dissent and raising awareness about the situation in Venezuela to reach the widest possible audience.\u201d It recommended that Meta adapt its policies \u201cto ensure that political content, especially around elections and post-electoral protests, is eligible for the same reach as non-political content\u201d during times of crisis.<\/p>\n The case isn\u2019t the first time the board has waded into the debate surrounding the role of political content on Meta\u2019s apps. Earlier this year, the board accepted its first case related to a post on Threads<\/a>, which is also expected to weigh in on Meta\u2019s controversial decision to limit<\/a> recommendations of political posts on the service. The board has yet to publish its decision in the case.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n