Meta Oversight Board reverses threat post decision on Threads app

Meta’s Oversight Board has reversed both the initial and first appeal decisions made by the company regarding a contentious post on its Threads app. The post in question was a reply to a Threads post about Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and a tax fraud scandal. The user’s reply, which translates into English as “drop dead/die” was originally removed under Meta’s Violence and Incitement rules.

The Board encourages Meta to make these changes to protect free speech while ensuring safety.

You can read the Board’s full decision here: https://t.co/2Gf9Z0hBGD

— Oversight Board (@OversightBoard) September 10, 2024

However, the board concluded that the removal was “neither necessary nor consistent with Meta’s human rights responsibilities,” adding that the phrase was used figuratively rather than as a literal threat of violence.

The controversial post dates back to January 2024, focusing on alleged fundraising irregularities tied to Kishida’s party. The user’s reply, which did not receive significant attention on the platform, was flagged and subsequently removed by Meta moderators. Despite appeals by the user, the decision was upheld until it reached the Oversight Board.

At the time, the political climate in Japan was particularly sensitive following the 2022 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, heightening concerns about political violence. Kishida, who has announced he will not seek re-election later this month, has been under scrutiny for his party’s financial dealings.

Meta’s policy over violence and threats on Threads

The board’s findings looked at the importance of distinguishing between figurative and actual threats, noting that the phrase “drop dead” is commonly used in Japanese social media as a form of opinion rather than a direct threat. Meta’s Oversight Board wrote: “In this case, the threat against a political leader was intended as non-literal political criticism calling attention to alleged corruption, using strong language, which is not unusual on Japanese social media.”

It added: “It was unlikely to cause harm.”

It then went on to criticize Meta’s current guidelines for failing to clearly differentiate between literal and figurative threats, calling the policy “confusing.”

Repeating a 2022 recommendation, it told the tech giant to include an explanation in the policy’s public language that rhetorical threats using the phrase “death to” are generally allowed. However, it said an exception should be made when directed at high-risk individuals, and to provide clear criteria on when threatening statements directed at heads of state are allowed to protect rhetorical political speech.

The board also recommended that Meta clarify how the policy differs for “public figures” vs. “high-risk persons.”

The board then pointed out the lack of clarity surrounding why threats against public figures are removed only when deemed “credible,” while those directed at other individuals are removed without regard to their credibility.

Last week, the board also found that the phrase “From the River to the Sea,” used by pro-Palestinian factions, shouldn’t be banned. In December, ReadWrite reported that the board said that it should not have removed two videos depicting hostages and injured people in the Israel-Hamas conflict, stating that such content is important to portray the extent of human suffering in the war.

ReadWrite has reached out to Meta and the Meta Oversight Board for comment.

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