Facebook and Instagram users will now have a new avenue to seek action on offensive content, under the expanded remit of its new, independent Oversight Board, which will now be able to hear appeals on content that has been left up on its platforms, as opposed to only reviewing content removals in its initial stages of operation.
As explained by Facebook:
“Starting today, people who use Facebook and Instagram now have the ability to appeal other people’s content that has been left up to the Oversight Board. Since October 2020, if content was removed from Facebook or Instagram and a user disagreed with Facebook’s re-reviewed decision to keep it down, that content was eligible for final appeal to the Oversight Board. Today’s announcement represents an expansion of the board’s initial scope. As originally contemplated by the Oversight Board’s bylaws, the board can now review Facebook’s decision to leave content on the platform – content eligible for appeal to the board still includes posts/statuses, photos, videos, comments, and shares.”