Meta's oversight board to review moderation of Arabic word 'shaheed'

Meta Platforms' oversight board said on Thursday it would review the moderation of the Arabic word "shaheed", which means "martyr" in English, as it accounts for more content removals on its platforms than any other single word or phrase.

Meta has asked the board for advice on whether it should continue to remove posts that use the word "shaheed" to refer to individuals designated as dangerous or use a different approach, the board said.

"This is a complex moderation issue that impacts how millions of people express themselves online and whether Muslim and Arabic-speaking communities are subject to over-enforcement of their content because of Meta's enforcement practices," said Thomas Hughes, director of oversight board administration.


Moderating the word may result in over-enforcement, particularly in Arabic-speaking countries, and could have an impact on news reporting in those regions, the board noted and called for public comments to assist with its deliberations.

The oversight board was created in late 2020 to review Facebook and Instagram's decisions on taking down or retaining certain content and make rulings on whether to uphold or overturn the social media company's actions.

The board also said on Thursday it would look into a case related to a post calling for the "siege" of Brazil's congress following the election of President Lula da Silva.

Calls for overhauling

In December last year, the oversight board recommended that the company revamp its system exempting high-profile users from its rules, saying the practice privileged the powerful and allowed business interests to influence content decisions.

The arrangement, called cross-check, adds a layer of enforcement review for millions of Facebook and Instagram accounts belonging to celebrities, politicians and other influential users, allowing them extra leeway to post content that violates the company's policies.

Cross-check "prioritises users of commercial value to Meta and as structured does not meet Meta's human rights responsibilities and company values," Oversight Board director Thomas Hughes said in a statement announcing the decision.

The board had been reviewing the cross-check program since last year, when whistleblower Frances Haugen exposed the extent of the system by leaking internal company documents to the Wall Street Journal.