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Meta’s board of directors, the independent “high court” of Facebook and Instagram, has forced the company to return a music video clip that was removed from Instagram at the request of the Metropolitan police.
The clip, which is a snippet of the song Secrets Not Safe by Chinx (OS), was taken down after the Met flagged the track against Meta, saying it could lead to “retaliatory violence”. in the context of the London gang scene.
The army told Meta that there was a “hidden threat”, referring to the shooting in 2017, because the company removed 52 poles in the road and automated systems that moved from 112 times.
Now, the board of directors says these deductions are wrong. The track does not violate the rules of Facebook or Instagram, it is argued that the basic principles of speech, equality and transparency are violated by allowing the police to secretly track a musician.
“While law enforcement can provide context and expertise at times, not all areas are appropriate for law enforcement to rule out,” the board said in its decision.
“That’s why it’s important that Meta independently evaluates these applications, especially when it comes to artistic performances from minorities or marginalized groups that have a high risk of cultural interference with their projects. “
As part of its investigation into the removal of the tank, the board issued a number of requests for information to the Met police, finding that the force had made 286 requests to remove or review posts about music in the 12 months from June 2021 , and 255 of those content was removed.
At the same time, there has not been a single request to remove other types of music, the army said. “This overwhelming focus on a particular type of music in many accounts of violence raises serious concerns about the effectiveness of policing in some communities,” the board said.
The board also asked the Met how it protects free speech rights, and what its policies are for flagging content on social networks. The army said it is impossible to answer, and decisions are made on a case-by-case basis.
Importantly, the Met did not claim that any of the music that the Met requested be removed violated British law. Instead, he argued that the music violated Facebook and Instagram’s social standards, as it “threatened or contributed to imminent violence or physical harm”. Police have offered no public evidence to support that claim. Because the internal Meta team works with the police in core expertise, users whose content has been banned have no power to appeal.
In a statement, Meta said: “We don’t remove content because the law requires it – we do if we find something that violates our policies or local laws. As part of our rigorous review process, we assess whether an application meets internationally recognized standards of human rights, including due process, privacy, free expression and the rule of law.”
The oversight board said that in the future, Meta should have a public and standardized system for content takedown requests from law enforcement and other government actors, including requesting evidence to support claims that a policy has been violated, and review its decisions. in the aggregate to assess for systematic biases against communities or minorities.
Although it is financed by Meta, and its co-chairs are appointed by the social network, the majority of the board of directors has an independent role and has the power to eliminate the moderation teams of Facebook and Instagram, and to force them to return from content to site. , as was done in this case. It can also provide non-binding recommendations on future company policies, which Meta reserves the right to reject but has agreed to respond to even if it decides not to enforce it.
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