Meta revises sexual content policy over Indian woman's assault video

Meta established the Oversight Board in 2018 as a quasi judicial body that can take up matters related to content moderation on the platform

In response to a suggestion from the Oversight Board (OB) concerning a 2022 video showing the sexual assault of an Indian tribal woman, Meta has declared revisions to its policy governing the publication of content linked to sexual exploitation on its platforms.

The revised policy on Adult Sexual Exploitation now permits the portrayal of non-consensual sexual contact, provided it is accompanied by a warning screen and shared for the purpose of raising awareness rather than sensationalism. Importantly, the victim remains unseen, and there is no nudity involved. Meta has also made corresponding updates to its internal guidelines to align with this policy adjustment.

The Oversight Board was set up in late 2020 by Meta as a quasi-judicial body to oversee content moderation on its platforms.

What the case is about

This specific case, which has resulted in the updation of Meta's policy, dates back to 2022, when an Instagram account with around 30,000 followers, describing itself as a platform for Dalit rights, posted a video showing an Indian woman being sexually assaulted and harassed by a group of men.

The content was reported by an Instagram user for "sexual solicitation" and was sent for human review. Human reviewers then came to the conclusion that the content violated Meta's Adult Sexual Exploitation Policy. Under the policy, content "that depicts, threatens or promotes sexual violence, sexual assault or sexual exploitation" can be removed.

The case was then flagged for additional human review by specialists, following which the post was restored citing newsworthiness, albeit with a warning screen on the video alerting users that it contains graphic content.

The case gets examined by OB

In September 2022, Meta referred the case to the Oversight Board, as it demonstrated a challenge in striking "the appropriate balance between allowing content that condemns sexual exploitation and the harm in allowing visual depictions of sexual harassment to remain on [its] platforms," the Oversight Board said while quoting Meta.

The Board studied the case and recommended Meta to include an exception in the Adult Sexual Exploitation Community Standard.

The Oversight Board specifically recommended that Meta should allow content on its platform that depicts non-consensual sexual touching, where the content is shared to raise awareness, the victim is not identifiable, does not involve nudity, and is not shared to create sensationalism.

Meta updates policy

In its Q2 2023 Quarterly Update on the Oversight Board, released on August 29, Meta announced that it has included the required exception in the sexual exploitation policy.

Meta has stated that they modified their Adult Sexual Exploitation Community Standard in May 2023, incorporating the subsequent wording: "We may restrict visibility to people over the age of 18 and include a warning label on certain content depicting non-consensual sexual touching, when it is shared to raise awareness and without entertainment or sensational context, where the victim or survivor is not identifiable and where the content does not involve nudity."

Also read: Meta Oversight Board to begin reviewing cases more quickly

Translation of Community Standards

Meta also provided an update on the Oversight Board's recommendation of making their Community Standards accessible in all languages.

"By Q4 2021, we had progressed to publishing the Community Standards in 59 translations. Since then, we have continued this work and, in Q2 2023, published the Community Standards in Kirundi, Shona, Somali, Swazi, Pashto and Tajik, making the Community Standards available in a total of 86 translations," Meta said.

Last year, the board had questioned the company’s investment in moderating content in languages other than English, pointing at the small number of user appeals from India and other countries.

Meta's digital literacy programs in India

In addition to the revisions in content policies, Meta has also revealed that, in line with the Oversight Board's distinct counsel on augmenting investments in digital literacy initiatives, the company has introduced the Meta Small Business Academy in India.

"The program will equip entrepreneurs and marketers with the necessary digital marketing skills to grow on Meta platforms i.e. Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram," said Meta in its quarterly review.

The course module and examinations for this academy will be available in seven languages – English, Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, Tamil, and Telugu. Additionally, Meta also informed that it has partnered with the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) to train 10 million traders using the WhatsApp Business app.