Facebook’s parent company, Meta (META.O), opened a new tab for its Oversight Board on Thursday, inviting public comments regarding immigration-related content that might be harmful to immigrants. The board shared two specific cases where Facebook moderators decided to keep posts on the platform.
The board plans to evaluate whether Meta’s decision to only protect refugees, migrants, immigrants, and asylum seekers from severe attacks under its hate speech policy is sufficient. Funded by Meta, the Oversight Board operates independently. After collecting public comments, it can make non-binding policy recommendations to the company.
The first case presented by the board involved a Facebook page for a Polish far-right coalition party that posted a meme in May using a term for Black people that is widely considered offensive and derogatory in Poland. This post was viewed over 150,000 times, shared more than 400 times, garnered over 250 comments, and was reported 15 times by users for hate speech, yet it remained on Facebook after a human review by Meta.
In the second case, a German Facebook page shared a picture in June of a blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman making a stop gesture. The accompanying text suggested that people should stop coming to Germany, claiming they don’t need any more “gang rape specialists.” Meta also decided to leave this image up after a human review.
Following the Oversight Board’s inquiry, Meta’s policy experts reassessed both posts but confirmed that their original decisions were correct.
“These significant cases from Germany and Poland will help us determine whether Meta should take more action and whether it is adequately prioritizing this critical issue that affects so many around the world,” said board co-chair and former Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt.