Case Summary and Outcome

The Oversight Board issued a summary decision overturning Meta’s original removal of a Facebook post featuring a video that used irony and metaphor to criticize corruption within Indonesia’s National Police. The Board found the removal inconsistent with Meta’s Violence and Incitement policy and highlighted the broader risk of over-enforcement against political speech. It emphasized that such inconsistency—particularly when satire or rhetorical devices are used—can unjustly stifle criticism of government authorities and undermine freedom of expression. The Board reiterated the importance of context-sensitive moderation, especially in political discourse.

*The Oversight Board is a separate entity from Meta and will provide its independent judgment on both individual cases and questions of policy. Both the Board and its administration are funded by an independent trust. The Board has the authority to decide whether Facebook and Instagram should allow or remove content. The Board issues full decisions and summary decisions. Decisions, except summary decisions, are binding unless implementing them could violate the law. The Board can also choose to issue recommendations on the company’s content policies. Summary decisions are a transparency mechanism, providing information to the public on Meta’s decision making and the Board’s recommendations relating to cases where Meta reversed its original decision on its own accord, after receiving notice from the Board about the appeal.

Facts

In April 2023, a Facebook user posted a video of themselves delivering a monologue criticizing corruption within Indonesia’s National Police. The user referenced a statement attributed to the Chief of the National Police: “If I can’t clean my tail, I’ll cut off its head.” Responding to this, the user remarked that the “dirty tails” had become the “heads,” alleging that corrupt subordinate officers were being protected by their superiors. The user also named specific individuals they claimed were corrupt and had been promoted within the force. The accompanying caption read: “How could a dirty broom clean a dirty floor?”

Meta initially removed the post under its Violence and Incitement policy, which prohibits threats that could lead to death. The user appealed this decision to the Oversight Board. After the Board brought the case to Meta’s attention, the company reversed its decision and reinstated the post. Meta clarified that the user was not inciting violence against a specific individual or group but was expressing concern about systemic corruption and complicity within the police leadership. Consequently, Meta concluded the post did not contain a threat of violence and did not violate the policy.

Decision Overview

The Oversight Board decided to issue a summary decision on this appeal—despite Meta having already acknowledged its error and reversed the removal—to promote greater transparency in content moderation, reduce future errors, and improve fairness for users. The central question was whether removing a post that was satirical and critical of Indonesia’s National Police was consistent with Meta’s Violence and Incitement policy and its broader human rights responsibilities.

The Board noted this case illustrated inconsistent enforcement of Meta’s rules on political speech, particularly where metaphor and irony are used to criticize government officials. It emphasized that content moderation systems must be sensitive to rhetorical language—such as satire, irony, and metaphor—especially in political discourse, which is afforded strong protection under international human rights standards.

The Board reiterated its earlier recommendation from the Two Buttons Meme case, urging Meta to implement procedures to ensure content is evaluated in its proper context. Meta expressed its commitment to fully implementing this recommendation, particularly for cases involving regional languages like Bahasa Indonesia, recognizing it could help reduce moderation errors in politically sensitive content where Meta’s value of “Voice” is most critical.

Accordingly, the Board overturned Meta’s original decision and welcomed the company’s correction of its initial error.