Meta's Oversight Board to Review Cases Related to Israel-Hamas War

Meta's independent oversight board announced on Thursday, December 7, that it will review the management of violent content related to the Israel-Hamas war on the company's social media platforms. According to Reuters, the board is specifically examining two cases of an explosion and hostage-taking. These cases are the first to be reviewed under a new rapid mechanism established earlier this year, which requires the board to issue its opinion within 30 days. Previously, the final decision on cases typically took several months. The board's decision to address these cases comes amid a flood of violent, hateful, and misleading content on social media platforms during the two-month war between Israel and Hamas. This war began following Hamas's terrorist attack on October 6, which prompted Israel's response and attacks on the Gaza Strip, the area controlled by this Palestinian group. After the Hamas attack, Meta temporarily made changes to its systems to remove 'potentially harmful' content, including posts clearly showing Israelis taken hostage by Hamas. The company also faces accusations of suppressing and removing expressions of support for Palestinians under Israeli attacks in Gaza. According to Meta's independent board, one of the cases under review involves the removal of a video on Instagram showing the aftermath of an explosion at the 'Shifa' hospital in Gaza, which included images of injured and dead children. The video’s caption claimed that the hospital was targeted by the 'occupying aggressor,' a clear reference to the Israeli army. This hospital, the largest medical center in the Palestinian territories, is at the center of war crime allegations against both sides of the conflict. Human Rights Watch stated last month that its investigations indicate the explosion at this hospital was likely caused by a missile typically used by armed Palestinian groups. After the board selected the case for review, Meta restored it along with a warning page. The other case involves a video on Facebook showing a woman pleading with kidnappers not to kill her as they take her away on a motorcycle. The caption of this video urges people to raise awareness of what happened on October 6. According to the board, Meta initially removed this video but changed its decision weeks later in response to a procedure regarding how hostage videos were shared. The board stated that, like the first case, this video was also restored with a warning page. Meta stated that it welcomes the independent oversight board's review and is committed to implementing its decisions. Meta's actions to combat misinformation include removing pro-Hamas content on Instagram and Facebook and shutting down thousands of fake accounts on Facebook. The oversight board is also reviewing the reasons for the removal of a video of an Iranian woman 'without mandatory hijab.'