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17/5/24, 13:36 Hotel in Ethiopia | Oversight Board Ethiopia PLATFORM Facebook This is a summary decision. Summary decisions examine cases where Meta reversed its original decision on a piece of content after the Board brought it to the company’s attention. These decisions include information about Meta’s acknowledged errors. They are approved by a Board Member panel, not the full Board. They do not consider public comments, and do not have precedential value for the Board. Summary decisions provide transparency on Meta’s corrections and highlight areas where the company could improve its policy enforcement. Case summary A user appealed Meta's decision to leave up a Facebook post that called for a hotel in Ethiopia's Amhara region to be burned down. This case highlights Meta's error in enforcing its policy against a call for violence in a country experiencing armed conflict and civil unrest. After the Board brought the appeal to Meta's attention, the company reversed its original decision and removed the post. Case description and background On April 6, 2023, a Facebook user posted an image and caption that called for a hotel in Ethiopia's Amhara region to be burned down. The user claimed that the hotel was owned by a general in the Ethiopian National Defense Forces. The post also included a photograph of the hotel, its address, and the name of the general. The user posted this content during a period of heightened political tension in the Amhara region when protests had been taking place for several days against the government's plan to dissolve a regional paramilitary force. Under Meta's Violence and Incitement policy, the company removes content that calls for highseverity violence. In their appeal to the Board, the user who reported the content stated that the post calls for violence and violates Meta's Community Standards. Meta initially left the content on Facebook. When the Board brought this case to Meta’s attention, it determined that the post violated its Violence and Incitement policy, and that its original decision to https://www.oversightboard.com/decision/FB-IULHG7JK/ 2/4

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Oversight Board Case of Hotel in Ethiopia

Case Law

Country

Ethiopia

Country Location

Latitude: 8.931360452392163

Longitude: 39.67382794618616

Country Location (linked Case Law): Ethiopia

Decision Date: Sep 13, 2023

Case Status: Closed

Keywords

Social Media

Judicial Body: Meta's Oversight Board

Court Name: Oversight Board

Case Number: 2023-026-FB-UA

Case Summary

The Oversight Board issued a summary decision overturning Meta’s original decision to leave up a Facebook post that called for the burning down of a hotel in Ethiopia’s Amhara region. Responding to a user’s appeal, the Board reasoned that such calls for violence cause a risk of “near-term violence” which can worsen the situation on the ground, especially in a country like Ethiopia that suffers from armed conflicts and civil unrest. When the Board notified Meta of this case, the company found that the post violated its Violence and Incitement policy and decided to remove the post. The Board recognized Meta’s correction of its initial error when the case was brought to their attention, and recommended Meta look into the possibility of establishing a mechanism that properly reviews and handles content in times of conflict, as well as conducting an assessment on how Facebook and Instagram are used to spread hate speech and unverified rumors in Ethiopia.

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.

Case Significance: Mixed Outcome

In this decision, the Board decided that a Facebook post calling for violence in Ethiopia had to be removed from the platform. While this limits freedom of expression online, it takes into consideration that this content, in the context of civil unrest and armed conflict, entailed offline dangers that can be harmful to the rights and integrity of others. Thus, the decision restricts freedom of expression in line with international human rights standards.

This case did not set a binding or persuasive precedent either within or outside its jurisdiction. The significance of this case is undetermined at this point in time.

Source URL: Global Freedom of Expression

Collection

Columbia

Date Updated: Sep 22, 2024

Primary Documents

Summary Decision
English
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CYRILLA: Global Digital Rights Law

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Oversight Board Case of Hotel in Ethiopia

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