The Meta’s Oversight Board - a group of academics, lawyers and rights experts - has recommended that the company revise its rules around adult nudity so as to “respect international human rights standards”.
In its statement on 17 Jan, the Board recommend that Meta put forth “clear, objective, rights-respecting criteria” in its adult nudity policy “without discrimination on the basis of sex or gender:.
The decision comes in the wake removal and subsequent restoration of two Instagram posts belonging to an American couple - a transgender and a binary. One post was inserted in 2021 and the other in 2022. It displayed the couple topless with their nipples covered and seeking funds for top surgery. These posts were flagged by users and later removed for violating “the Sexual Solicitation Community Standard,” seemingly due to a fundraising link for the said surgery.
The couple appealed to Meta's Oversight Board that investigated and asked Instagram to restore the post and said it “highlighted fundamental issues with Meta’s policies.”
The Oversight Board operates independently from Meta but is funded by the company and advises them on content moderation.
