Meta’s Oversight Board says it will fast-track two cases dealing with content takedowns on Facebook and Instagram related to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. The cases mark the first time the independent board has opted to expedite a review, which allows it to make a decision in as little as 48 hours instead of the typical weeks or months-long process.
The group says it has seen a surge in appeals since the start of the conflict with “an almost three-fold increase in the daily average of appeals” related to the Middle East and North Africa. The board said it selected the two cases, one from Facebook and one from Instagram, because they “address important questions relating to the conflict and represent wider issues affecting Facebook and Instagram users.”
In both cases, Meta initially removed the posts but later restored them. The case originating from Instagram stems from an early November post “showing what appears to be the aftermath of an airstrike on a yard outside Al-Shi