In a recent decision, Facebook’s Oversight Board has highlighted a problematic loophole in Meta’s manipulated media policy, allowing a video suggesting inappropriate behavior by President Joe Biden towards women to remain on the platform. The quasi-judicial board emphasized the urgency of closing this loophole, as it poses a threat to elections worldwide.
The video in question, posted last spring, depicted Biden placing an “I Voted” sticker on his adult granddaughter’s chest. However, the clip had been edited to create the false impression that he had repeatedly and inappropriately touched her chest. The Oversight Board reviewed the case after a user appealed Meta’s decision not to remove the content.
Meta’s manipulated media policy currently only applies to videos altered by artificial intelligence, making it appear as if a person said something they did not. The policy is enforceable only when both conditions are met and does not cover manipulated audio. As the video portrayed actions that Biden did perform, albeit heavily edited, it was allowed to remain on the platform. The Oversight Board criticized Meta’s policy for being too narrow and urged the company to revise it promptly, considering the upcoming elections in 2024.
The Board expressed concerns about the current form of Meta’s Manipulated Media policy, describing it as incoherent, lacking persuasive justification, and overly focused on the method of content creation rather than the specific harms it aims to prevent, such as electoral interference. They emphasized the need for greater clarity on the harms Meta seeks to address and urged the company to make revisions swiftly, given the record number of elections in 2024.
Responding to the Oversight Board’s recommendation, Biden’s presidential campaign criticized Meta’s policy as nonsensical and dangerous, particularly in the context of the democratic stakes involved in the upcoming election. The campaign called for an immediate reconsideration of the policy, highlighting the potential impact on the integrity of the electoral process.
This recommendation comes after Meta faced backlash over a slowed-down video in 2016 that made then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appear as if she was slurring her speech. Facebook took more than a day to demote the video on its platform, only doing so after a third-party fact-checker flagged it as false. Meta’s policy on manipulated media includes exemptions for parody, satire, and selectively edited content that alters the order or omits words said in a video.
In response to the Oversight Board’s feedback, Meta stated that it is reviewing the recommendations and will publicly respond within 60 days, by its bylaws.
In conclusion, Facebook’s Oversight Board has called attention to a problematic loophole in Meta’s manipulated media policy, allowing a video suggesting inappropriate behavior by President Joe Biden to remain on the platform. The Board emphasized the need for Meta to close this loophole promptly, as it poses a threat to elections worldwide. The current policy was criticized for being incoherent and lacking clarity on the specific harms it aims to prevent. Biden’s campaign also condemned the policy as nonsensical and dangerous, urging Meta to reconsider it immediately.