Oversight Board urges Meta to evaluate measures against political violence
With the upcoming presidential elections in the United States, Meta’s election preparedness efforts have gained significant importance, with the Board expressing concerns about their effectiveness.
The Oversight Board of Meta Platforms has requested the company to assess its measures in preventing the promotion of political violence on its platforms. This request came after Meta allowed a video inciting violence after the 2022 Brazilian election to remain online.
The Board expressed concerns about the effectiveness of Meta’s election integrity efforts, stating that the video should have been removed due to the speaker’s intent, the content of the speech, its reach, and the potential for imminent harm. Meta initially left the video up but eventually took it down after the Oversight Board highlighted the case.
The focus on Meta’s election preparedness efforts is particularly relevant as the United States gears up for its next presidential elections. Meta’s platforms, Facebook and Instagram, have previously been used to spread misinformation and incite violence.
Meta acknowledged that it currently lacks metrics for measuring the success of its overall election integrity efforts. The Oversight Board, established in 2020, reviews Meta’s decisions regarding content takedowns and upholds or overturns the company’s actions.
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