Meta's Board Criticizes Company Over Fake Biden Video

Facts

• Meta's independent Oversight Board criticized the tech giant’s policy on manipulated media, saying that it is 'incoherent' and overly focused on content that is altered with artificial intelligence. The statement comes after the board reviewed a doctored video that portrayed Pres. Joe Biden inappropriately touching his granddaughter.¹
• In a ruling on Monday, the board determined that the video in question did not violate Meta's policies and could remain on the platform. The content was posted in May 2023.²
• Monday's ruling read, 'Since the video in this post was not altered using AI and it shows President Biden doing something he did not do (not something he didn't say), it does not violate the existing policy.' Despite allowing the video to remain on Facebook, the board said that Meta must expand its existing policies to focus on both audio and video media that has been altered with or without AI.³
• While Meta's quasi-independent board can make binding decisions on specific cases of content moderation, it can only make recommendations on policy changes. Instead of removing manipulated content that does not violate rules, the board suggested Meta add labels that tell users a specific post is altered.⁴
• The board cautioned about the growing prominence of deepfakes and other altered content, noting that non-AI altered content 'is prevalent and not necessarily any less misleading' than AI-generated counterparts. It also did not go as far as saying Meta should apply the same moderation policies to photos since it may be too difficult to enforce.⁵
• The board's co-chair said that imminent policy changes are especially needed given elections taking place in 2024 — saying that manipulated audio is 'one of the most potent forms of electoral misinformation.' A Meta spokesperson said the company is 'reviewing the Oversight Board's guidance' and will issue a public response in 60 days.⁶

Sources: ¹BBC News, ²CBS, ³Associated Press, ⁴Washington Post, ⁵CNBC and ⁶TechCrunch.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by USA Today. Meta's Oversight Board made very common-sense suggestions regarding manipulated content that respects freedom of expression online while seriously addressing the issue of altered content that could deceive voters. The proliferation of both AI-altered and non-AI-altered media has become a serious concern and is a big issue for democracy. Labeling audio and video media as 'manipulated' will go a long way to ensuring that people are informed about what they are watching while not removing any and all satire.
• Narrative B, as provided by The New Republic. While Meta’s Oversight Board levied some valid criticisms of the company’s manipulated content policy, its ruling on the fake Biden video is quite problematic given the imminence of the 2024 election and the amount of altered content circulating online. Many people are deceived by fake content online, and allowing a video that falsely depicts the president is dangerous — even if it's labeled as a manipulated video. The Oversight Board should have removed the fake video and issued a more iron-clad ruling.