Two weeks before the US presidential election, the Oversight Board expressed “serious concerns” about Meta’s content moderation systems in “electoral contexts,” warning the company about the risk of “excessive removal of political speech” due to over-enforcement of its rules. This warning came as the board reviewed a case involving a satirical image of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, originally removed by Meta in August. The altered image, replacing the faces of Harris and Walz in a parody of the movie poster from “Dumb and Dumber,” was initially taken down citing bullying and harassment rules. After intervention from the Oversight Board, the post was reinstated as it did not depict sexual activity, but the board criticized Meta for not recognizing the satirical nature of the image and raised concerns about the company’s ability to effectively moderate content in election-related contexts. The board’s direct criticism without its usual list of recommendations highlights the ongoing issue of Meta over-enforcing its rules, particularly in the realm of political speech and satire, potentially leading to the suppression of valid criticism and undermining the ability to engage in sarcastic discourse about government officials and political candidates.
