Meta’s independent oversight board reversed the social media giant’s decision to remove bare-chested photos of transgender and non-binary people on Instagram, enforcing rules on nudity in a clear and gender-nondiscriminatory way. He urged the company to redefine it.
The board’s Tuesday decision reversed Instagram’s original decisions for 2021 and 2022, removing two photos posted by the same US-based couple who identified as transgender and non-binary. Did. The photo featured an image of the couple baring their breasts and covering their nipples, with a caption discussing transgender health care.
The post was originally removed by Instagram’s parent company, Meta, for violating the platform’s sexual solicitation and community standards. However, Mehta restored the post after discovering it had been accidentally deleted after the Oversight Board accepted a case to retract the decision.
“Here, the Board found Meta’s policies on adult nudity to be a greater barrier to the representation of women, transgender and gender non-binary people on its platform,” said the Board. The meeting writes the decision.
The Oversight Board is a task force funded by Meta, but composed of outside experts and civic leaders. Designed to operate independently of the company.
The board said the joint lawsuit “highlights fundamental questions about Meta’s policy.” The company’s internal guidance to moderators on when to remove content under its sexually soliciting policy is “much broader than the stated rationale for the policy, or any guidance that is publicly available,” and that users and moderators and content is “accidentally deleted”. Boards found.
The decision also recommends that Meta define “clear, objective, rights-respecting standards” for community standards for adult nudity and sexual activity.
Board decisions regarding specific posts and accounts are binding, but policy recommendations are not. That means Meta can choose whether or not to adopt changes proposed by the Board.
A Meta spokesperson said it “welcomes the board’s decision in this case.”
“We took it back before making the decision, recognizing that this content should not have been removed. We are constantly evaluating our policies to make our platform safe for everyone. We know there is more we can do to support the LGBTQ+ community, which means working with experts and LGBTQ+ advocacy groups on a range of issues and product improvements.” person added.
