Meta’s Oversight Board has addressed the company’s content moderation policies in Venezuela amidst violent crackdowns and widespread protests following the contested presidential election.
In its ruling, the board stated that Facebook users discussing the state-backed armed groups known as “colectivos” should have greater flexibility to make statements such as “kill those damn colectivos.”
Meta had sought guidance from the Oversight Board last month, highlighting that its moderators were encountering a surge of “anti-colectivos content” following the election.
Specifically, Meta requested the board’s input on two posts: an Instagram post that read, “Go to hell! I hope they kill you all!” which Meta said was directed at the colectivos, and a Facebook post condemning Venezuela’s security forces, stating, “kill those damn colectivos.”
The board concluded that neither post breached Meta’s policies on calls for violence, asserting that both posts should be viewed as “aspirational statements” from citizens in a country where state-backed violence has suppressed free expression.
Meta Company (Photo: Rafapress)
“The targets of aspirational violence are state-supported forces that have played a role in the sustained repression of civic freedoms and other human rights abuses in Venezuela, particularly during the post-election crisis,” the board wrote.
“In contrast, civilians have been predominantly the victims of human rights violations.”
In addition to this ruling, the Oversight Board criticized Meta’s approach to limiting the visibility of political content across its platforms.
It expressed concern that in Venezuela’s context, the policy to reduce political content distribution might hinder users from expressing political dissent or spreading awareness about the situation.
The board recommended that Meta revise its policies to ensure political content, particularly around elections and protests, receives the same reach as non-political content during crises.
This case is not the first time the board has intervened in discussions on political content on Meta’s platforms.
Earlier this year, the board accepted its first case involving a post on Threads, which is also expected to address Meta’s controversial decision to limit recommendations of political posts on the app. The board has yet to release its decision on that case.
