The oversight board of Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has raised serious concerns over the failure to remove a viral video showing two men bleeding after being attacked for allegedly being gay in Nigeria. The video, which garnered over 3.6 million views, was reported multiple times and reviewed by human moderators but remained on the platform for about five months. The board expressed worry that the video promoted violence and discrimination and increased the risks for LGBTQIA+ individuals in Nigeria. Even after the video was eventually removed, there were still sequences of it circulating on Facebook.
The video depicted a disturbing scene where two men were seen bleeding while being interrogated by a crowd about their sexual orientation. Meta acknowledged two errors related to the video, including misidentifying the language spoken in the video as English instead of Igbo, a regional language in southeastern Nigeria not supported by Meta for content moderation. The human review teams also incorrectly identified the language as Swahili, raising concerns about the accuracy of translations and the treatment of content in unsupported languages. The oversight board recommended updates to Meta’s Community Standards to address these issues and ensure better enforcement accuracy.
The laws criminalizing homosexuality in more than 30 African countries, including Nigeria, often lead to the targeting and illegal arrest of individuals suspected of being gay. Despite constitutional guarantees of freedom, these laws receive broad public support and are used to justify abuses against LGBTQIA+ individuals. The oversight board highlighted the immediate and irreversible damage caused by the viral video and the potential for it to incite violence against the LGBTQIA+ community in Nigeria. The failure to remove the video in a timely manner was seen as a missed opportunity to prevent harm.
Meta’s response to the oversight board’s concerns was not immediately available for comment. The company’s handling of the viral video raised questions about its language detection systems, content moderation processes, and support for unsupported languages. The recommendations made by the board outlined steps for Meta to improve its enforcement accuracy, language detection, and translation services to prevent similar incidents in the future. The incident serves as a reminder of the challenges faced by social media platforms in addressing harmful content and protecting vulnerable communities from violence and discrimination.
The oversight board’s report underscored the importance of addressing the risks faced by marginalized groups, such as LGBTQIA+ individuals, in countries with discriminatory laws and societal attitudes. The recommendations for Meta to update its Community Standards and improve its content moderation practices reflect a broader need for social media companies to prioritize the safety and well-being of all users, especially those in vulnerable situations. The incident in Nigeria highlights the urgent need for proactive measures to prevent the spread of harmful content and promote a more inclusive and respectful online environment for all individuals.
