How we help prevent interference, empower people to vote and more.
How we work with independent fact-checkers, and more, to identify and take action on misinformation.
How we assess content for newsworthiness.
How we reduce problematic content in News Feed.
Quarterly report on how well we're doing at enforcing our policies on the Facebook app and Instagram.
Report on how well we're helping people protect their intellectual property.
Report on government request for people's data.
Report on when we restrict content that's reported to us as violating local law.
Report on intentional internet restrictions that limit people's ability to access the internet.
Quarterly report on what people see on Facebook, including the content that receives the widest distribution during the quarter.
Download current and past regulatory reports for Facebook and Instagram.
JUN 17, 2022
Today, the Oversight Board selected a case appealed by a Facebook user regarding a video depicting an edited version of a Disney cartoon, “The Pied Piper,” posted by a Facebook page that describes itself as a news portal. The video depicts the Croatian city of Knin as being overrun by rats who are driven out by a piper from the Croatian village of Čavoglave playing a well-known Western Balkans’ folk song.
Upon initial review, we found the content to be non-violating and it was left up. However, upon further review, we determined the post did in fact violate our policy on Hate Speech, as laid out in the Facebook Community Standards, and removed it. Meta takes down content that targets a person or group of people based on their race, ethnicity and/or national origin with “dehumanizing speech or imagery in the form of comparisons, generalizations, or unqualified behavioral statements (in written or visual form) to or about: animals that are culturally perceived as intellectually or physically inferior.” In light of the case’s historical context, we determined the content contained a direct attack by comparing Serbians to rats.
We will implement the board’s decision once it has finished deliberating, and we will update this post accordingly. Please see the board’s website for the decision when they issue it.
We welcome the Oversight Board’s decision today on this case. The board overturned Meta’s original decision to leave the content on the platform. However, as Meta ultimately removed the content, no further action will be taken.
After conducting a review of the recommendations provided by the board in addition to their decision, we will update this page.