Meta Watchdog Reverses Facebook Decision To Remove Graphic Hamas Attack Video

Meta’s Oversight Board has overturned a decision by Facebook to remove a video that shows the October 7 Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israel.

The case involves a video posted to Facebook of a woman pleading for her life during the Oct. 7 attack as she is taken hostage by Hamas terrorists. In the video, a man, thought to be another hostage, is also seen being led away by the militants. The faces of the victims and their kidnappers are visible. The video, shared after the attack, was posted with text saying “Israel is under attack,” and includes the hashtag #FreeIsrael, and names one of the hostages.

Facebook's automated systems removed the video for violating the company’s standards on dangerous content, but users appealed the decision. Meta had reduced the threshold for automated content removal following the outbreak of the Israeli-Gaza conflict, the company said, amid a surge of violent and disturbing posts to the platform.

And now, following Meta's Oversight Board's review, Meta has clarified that it had concerns for the dignity of the victims and the potential misuse of the video for promoting terrorist actions.

The content has since been reinstated with a warning screen.

The Oversight Board said it supports the restoration of the content with a warning, but disagreed with the company’s decision to reduce its circulation by demoting the video in content recommendations to users. The case marks a significant decision under the independent board’s expedited review procedures, Meta’s content ombudsman wrote in a statement.