Facebook Oversight Board to hear a broader range of content appeals

Starting today, people who use Facebook and Instagram now have the ability to appeal other people’s content that has been left up to the Oversight Board. Since October 2020, if content was removed from Facebook or Instagram and a user disagreed with Facebook’s re-reviewed decision to keep it down, that content was eligible for final appeal to the Oversight Board.

As originally contemplated by the Oversight Board’s bylaws, the board can now review Facebook’s decision to leave content on the platform — content eligible for appeal to the board still includes posts/statuses, photos, videos, comments, and shares.

Facebook will be rolling out the ability to appeal content left up to the Oversight Board to people across the world in waves to ensure stability of the product experience for users.

How to Report Content That’s Been Left Up

If someone does not think that a piece of content should be on Facebook or Instagram, they first need to report the content to Facebook. Our Help Center explains how to do this for various types of content.

If Facebook decides to keep the content up even after review, the reporting person will receive an Oversight Board Reference ID in their Support Inbox and from there can appeal Facebook’s decision to the Oversight Board.

Content is often reported by multiple people, many of whom also want to appeal to the Oversight Board. Facebook has structured the appeal process to accommodate these scenarios. In order to guarantee each reporting user’s voice is heard, multiple people will be able to report the same piece of content — and will be able to do so citing different reasons.

This means that, regardless of whether or not someone else has reported a piece of content, people may still appeal to the board and make the case for why this content should be removed.

In order for the Oversight Board to manage this, multiple reports will be compiled into a single case file for the board. This case file will exist for each piece of content that has been appealed to the board. Even if the board decides not to hear a case on a particular piece of content, other users may still appeal that same content, so their own voice can be heard on the matter.

Furthermore, if the board does take up a case, other users will be able to submit statements to the board, up until the board begins deliberations.

Privacy

To protect the privacy of those appealing to the board, the board will only include details that could easily identify a reporter in the board’s written explanation if the reporter has given permission to do so. To learn more about the steps that are taken to remove details that can easily identify reporters and others, refer to the data policy.

User Communication

Once the board decides to take a case regarding content that is left up, Facebook will inform all users who have reported the case to the board by updating the case status in the Oversight Board website portal.

Facebook will also inform the original poster: when their content has been submitted to the board; if the board has decided to hear the case (at which point they will have the option to submit a statement to the board to provide further context around their content); and once the board has reached a decision.

What’s Next for the Board

The Oversight Board has already made a number of decisions and recommendations that have not only decided whether content stays down or is reinstated on Facebook but is already having a broader and significant impact on our content and enforcement policies and practices. Facebook will continue to work to bring additional types of content into the board’s scope and will provide updates in the future.