Meta oversight panel says political content cuts could undermine dissent, cites Venezuela [Video]

MEXICO CITY –

Meta’s efforts to scale back political content on its platforms could limit the reach of people’s expressions of dissent or awareness during crises, including Venezuela’s post-election situation, the company’s oversight panel said Thursday in a decision on cases involving videos taken after the July vote in the South American country.

The quasi-independent Oversight Board urged the social media giant to apply an existing protocol for crisis situations “to ensure that political content during crises can have the same reach as other types of content.”

The decision came as the company clamps down on the amount of news and political content users see following years of criticism about how it handles misinformation and whether it contributes to political polarization.

Meta set up the board in 2020 to be a referee for content on its platforms including Facebook and Instagram. The company referred to the board two videos related to pro-government armed …