Weapons Post Linked to Sudan’s Conflict

UPDATED

OCT 10, 2023

2023-028-FB-UA

Today, the Oversight Board selected a case appealed by a user concerning an image posted by a Facebook Page that depicts a diagram showing the inside and outside of a firearm cartridge accompanied by a caption in Arabic with instructions for disassembling a cartridge and using its explosive components to create a Molotov cocktail. The caption concludes with a statement of support for the Sudanese Armed Forces.

Meta took down this content for violating our Violence and Incitement policy, as laid out in the Facebook Community Standards.

Meta does not allow content that provides “instructions on how to make or use explosives, unless there is a clear context that the content is for a non-violent purpose.” We also do not allow people to share instructions concerning “how to make or use weapons if there is evidence of a goal to seriously injure or kill people through: language explicitly stating that goal, or photos or videos that show or simulate the end result (serious injury or death) as part of the instruction.” For this content, the caption suggests that the intended use is for throwing the Molotov cocktail against a target and is shared in the context of armed conflict.

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.