Meta's Oversight Board Reinstates Controversial Israel-Hamas Conflict Videos

The board criticizes Meta's use of automated tools for content moderation, stating it increases the likelihood of removing valuable posts that raise awareness about the conflict.

Meta's Oversight Board overturned the company's decision to remove two videos related to the Israel-Hamas conflict, one showing an Israeli woman being taken hostage and the other showing the aftermath of a strike near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
The board approved Meta's subsequent decision to restore the posts with a warning screen, marking the end of the entity's first expedited review, which took 12 days instead of the typical 90.
The board criticized Meta's use of automated tools to remove potentially harmful content, stating that it increased the likelihood of removing valuable posts that raise awareness about the conflict and may contain evidence of human rights violations.
Meta had temporarily lowered thresholds for automated tools to detect and remove potentially violating content due to an 'exceptional surge' in violent and graphic content since October 7.
The European Union recently launched a probe of Elon Musk-owned X (formerly known as Twitter) to assess whether the site is complying with rules that require social media platforms to counter illegal content and disinformation.