Meta’s Oversight Board has upheld the social media giant’s decision to restore an Instagram video showing a Dalit woman being sexually assaulted by a group of men, citing larger public interest and the need to raise awareness about discrimination against Dalits and Adivasis in India, especially women. However, the board has also ruled that the use of “newsworthiness allowance” does not provide a clear standard process to resolve such cases and there must instead be a clearly defined exception to the platform’s adult sexual exploitation policy.
The board observed that the woman’s face was not visible in the video nor did it show any nudity. However, a minority within the board believed that the risk of restoring the content was not low enough.
