On February 27, 2024, the Oversight Board issued a summary decision overturning Meta’s original decision to remove an Instagram post that encouraged Syrians to rebel against the regime of Bashar Al-Assad. An Instagram user posted a video of a prominent figure in the Syrian resistance against Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad. Meta originally removed the post under its Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy. The user appealed the decision claiming the post was meant to gather support for the Syrian resistance and not to glorify any designated organization or individual. When the Board brought Meta’s attention to the case, the company reversed its original decision. The Board noted that this case highlighted enforcement errors of the Dangerous Organizations and Individuals policy since Meta removed content that didn’t refer to any designated organization or individual.
*The Oversight Board is a separate entity from Meta and will provide its independent judgment on both individual cases and questions of policy. Both the Board and its administration are funded by an independent trust. The Board has the authority to decide whether Facebook and Instagram should allow or remove content. Decisions, except summary decisions, are binding, unless implementing them could violate the law. The Board can also choose to issue recommendations on the company’s content policies.