Meta's Oversight Board extends its scope to Instagram Threads

Meta's Oversight Board on Thursday said it is expanding its scope to include Instagram app Threads which allows users to share text updates and join public conversations.

This is the first time the Board's review has expanded its scope to cover a new app, after it reviewed and decided appeals from Facebook and Instagram users since October 2020.

“People using Threads will be able to challenge Meta's decisions by appealing eligible content to the Oversight Board."

"The appeals process for Threads is similar to the one for Facebook and Instagram,” the board said in a statement.

Once users have exhausted Meta's internal appeals process, the company will issue an Oversight Board reference ID that allows users to submit their cases for review on the Oversight Board website.

“In addition to the 130 million people using Threads, Meta will also be able to refer cases about content on Threads to the Board,” it added.

Board members will examine Meta's content decisions based on Instagram's Community Guidelines (which apply to Threads), the company's values and its international human rights commitments, especially to the principles of freedom of expression.

“Our decisions will be binding, and Meta must implement them within seven days."

"We will also be able to make recommendations for how Meta can improve its approach to content moderation, which the company must respond to within 60 days,” said the Board.

Threads is still evolving rapidly and while it stabilises, Meta will be able to implement policy and enforcement recommendations from decisions about Threads but will not be able to implement product-specific recommendations.