Oversight Board criticises Meta for removing two Israel-Hamas war videos

Facebook parent Meta's Oversight Board has criticised the social media platform for removing two videos depicting hostages and injured people in the Israel-Gaza war. The board said the videos should never have been removed as they were valuable to understanding human suffering on both sides during the war. 

One of the videos posted on Facebook showed an Israeli woman begging Hamas terrorists not to kill her as she was taken hostage after the dastardly October 7 attacks. The other video showed the aftermath of an Israeli strike near al-Shifa hospital in Gaza. 

“The Board focused on protecting the right to the freedom of expression of people on all sides about these horrific events, while ensuring that none of the testimonies incited violence or hatred,” Michael McConnell, a co-chair of the board, said in a statement. 

“These testimonies are important not just for the speakers, but for users around the world who are seeking timely and diverse information about ground-breaking events," he added. 

While Meta reinstated the videos, soon after the quasi-independent board came into the picture, experts argue that the company's policy in policing the content leaves a lot to be desired. 

The social media giant uses an automatic moderation system which was seemingly responsible for deleting the two videos. Although the videos contained injured children and disturbing images, the board argued that Meta needs to maintain “freedom of expression and access to information". 

Watch | Israel-Hamas war: Hamas video shows three elderly Israeli hostages pleading for release

Oversight Board - Supreme Court of Meta

It also urged Meta to “respond more quickly to changing circumstances on the ground, which affect the balance between the values of voice and safety”.

Usually, the Oversight Board takes 90 days to access a single case but this verdict took only 12 days, given the gravity and complexity of the matter. 

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Notably, the board, comprising of experts in freedom of expression and human rights is often described as the "Supreme Court for Meta". It allowed users to appeal content decisions on Meta platforms, viz. Instagram and Facebook. 

Since the war first broke out, there has been renewed scrutiny over Meta's content moderation practices. According to the board, it has seen a nearly threefold increase in content removal appeals in the Middle East and North Africa.  

(With inputs from agencies)