Oversight Board seeks public opinion to restore or remove child abuse videos on Meta

New Delhi, May 7 (IANS) The independent Oversight Board on Wednesday has sought opinion of general public to restore or remove child abuse videos on Meta.

The Board, an independent body of 22 global human rights and freedom of expression experts from across the political spectrum and the world, is reviewing two videos which show teachers hitting children in school settings.

“The review will explore the key tension between sharing content depicting non-sexual child abuse to shed light on wrongdoing and demand accountability, and the need to protect children’s safety, dignity, and privacy,” the Board said in a statement.

Both videos were initially removed by Meta for violating the Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Nudity policy, later one was allowed on the platform “with a newsworthy allowance and warning screen”.

The policy states the company removes content depicting “real or non-real non-sexual child abuse regardless of sharing intent…”

“Allowing non-sexual child abuse content in an awareness-raising or condemnation context risks re-traumatising the victim, while prohibiting such content may be viewed as infringing on the public’s ability to be informed,” said Meta, in its referral to the Board.

In view of this, the Oversight Board opened a public comment period and is seeking comments from stakeholders on the complex issues surrounding online depictions of child abuse.

The comments are sought on “the impact on victim, responsibilities of the platform, human rights considerations for content moderation, effects on accountability, and standards for protective reporting”.

The public comment window will remain open until 23:59 Pacific Time (12:29 pm IST) on Wednesday May 21, the statement said.

It added that the comments can be short, or up to five pages long, and can include links to external sources and research.

The comments will “form a vital part of the Board’s decision-making process on whether content should be removed or restored and can help shape our recommendations on how Meta should improve its policies and processes”, the Board said.

–IANS

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