1. The Oversight Board reviews Meta’s content moderation decisions on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads involving AI-generated sexually explicit images of female public figures.
2. The board has 20 members worldwide, including lawyers, human rights advocates, journalists, and academics, and operates independently from Meta with its own staff and budget.
3. The board is seeking public comments on the cases, including the prevalence of deep fake pornography globally and strategies for Meta to address it, with a 14-day public comment period closing on April 30th.
The Oversight Board, established by Meta in 2020, is an independent body of experts tasked with reviewing the company’s most challenging content moderation decisions on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. It consists of 20 members worldwide with backgrounds in law, human rights, journalism, and academia, and operates independently from Meta with its own staff and budget. The board can make binding decisions on content moderation and issue non-binding policy recommendations to Meta.
Currently, the Oversight Board is reviewing Meta’s handling of two cases involving AI-generated explicit images depicting female public figures. One case involves an image posted on Instagram representing a public figure from India, while the other features an image on Facebook showing a nude woman resembling an American public figure being groped by a man. Meta initially allowed these images to remain on its platforms but later removed them for violating its Bullying and Harassment Community Standard after the Oversight Board selected the cases for review.
The Oversight Board’s review process includes seeking public comments on various aspects of the cases, such as the harms posed by deep fake pornography, the global prevalence of such content, and strategies for addressing it on Meta’s platforms. The public comment period will remain open for 14 days, after which the board will deliberate on the cases and issue binding decisions to Meta. Additionally, any non-binding policy recommendations made by the board must be responded to by Meta within 60 days.
This announcement from the Oversight Board comes amidst concerns over the increasing spread of non-consensual deep fake pornography targeting women, particularly celebrities like Taylor Swift. In response, legislators have introduced the DEFIANCE Act to allow victims of non-consensual deep fakes to sue perpetrators. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a sponsor of the bill and a target of deep fake pornography herself, emphasized the importance of supporting victims as deep fakes become more accessible.