Meta revokes ban on controversial word in Facebook and Instagram posts

Meta has decided to review its moderation policies regarding the use of the Islamic word “Shahid”. The review is a recommendation from the Oversight Board, Meta’s body responsible for evaluating content moderation.

The word “Shahid” (or “Shaheed” in English) is a common Islamic term in Pakistan. Sometimes translated as “martyr,” the term is used to describe a person who died in pursuit of an honorable cause or in an accident, according to the Dawn website.

In an update published on Tuesday (2), the company announced that it has tested a new approach to moderating the use of that word following observations from the Oversight Board. The analysis showed that it is more valid to remove posts that include the word “Shahid” associated with content prohibited by the platforms’ guidelines.

In this way, Meta’s oversight mechanisms would be able to contain the dissemination of prohibited content, but without necessarily banning the word in question.

Posts with the term “Shahid” will now be evaluated more carefully on Meta platforms.Fonte:  GettyImages

In March of this year, the Supervisory Board criticized Meta for banning the use of the term almost completely. The entity argued that the company ignored the “linguistic complexity” of the expression.

The Council argues that the word in question can be used in reference to dangerous individuals, but in a neutral wayincluding in academic discussions or debates on human rights.

Now, publications containing the word “Shahid” will undergo a more careful evaluation and will not be removed immediately unless they are linked to other prohibited content.

“The Oversight Board is pleased with Meta’s announcement today that it is committing to implement the Board’s recommendations and make meaningful changes to an unfair policy that has censored millions of people on its platforms,” ​​the Board said.