precedential value for the Board. Summary decisions provide transparency on Meta's
corrections and highlight areas in which the company could improve its policy enforcement.
Case summary
A user appealed Meta's decision to remove a Facebook post discussing recent floods in
Libya. In September 2023, there were devastating floods in northeast Libya caused by Storm
Daniel and the collapse of two dams. A video in support of the victims of the floods, especially
in the city of Derna, was removed for violating Meta's Dangerous Organisations and
Individuals policy. This case highlights an over-enforcement of the company's Dangerous
Organisations and Individuals policy, which adversely affects users' freedom to express
solidarity and sympathy in difficult situations. After the Board brought the appeal to Meta's
attention, the company reversed its earlier decision and restored the post.
Case description and background
In September 2023, a Facebook user posted a video containing two images without a
caption. The background image showed two individuals in military uniform with badges. One
of the badges had Arabic text that read "Brigade 444 – Combat". This image was overlaid
with the second one that depicted two people pulling a third person out from a body of water.
The people on the sides had the Arabic words for "west" and "south" on their chests, while the
person in the middle had the word "east".
In August 2023, armed clashes broke out in Tripoli between the 444th Combat Brigade and
the Special Deterrence Force. These are two of the militias vying for power since the 2011
overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi. In their submission to the Board, the user stated that they
posted the video to clarify that Libya was "one people" with "one army" supporting the northeastern city of Derna after the flooding that resulted from dam collapses following Storm
Daniel in September 2023.
Meta originally removed the post from Facebook, citing its Dangerous Organisations and
Individuals policy.
After the Board brought this case to Meta's attention, the company determined that its
removal was incorrect and restored the content to Facebook. The company told the Board