Meta's Oversight Board Stands by Manipulated Video Decision

A Call for 'High-Risk' Warnings and Better Fact-Checking

In a recent ruling, Meta's Oversight Board has endorsed the decision to keep misleading protest videos on Facebook. This includes an edited video that makes it appear as though a Serbian protest occurred in the Netherlands to support Rodrigo Duterte, the former Philippine President. The clip was reshared shortly after Duterte's extradition in March 2025 to the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands.

The altered footage contains added sounds and captions, such as chants of 'Duterte' and the song 'Bayan Ko,' a piece historically used in Filipino anti-martial law demonstrations during the 1980s. Approximately 100,000 people have viewed the manipulated video, leading to hundreds of shares across the platform.

Meta’s algorithms did flag the video as potentially misleading, reducing its reach outside the United States. Nevertheless, due to the overwhelming number of similar posts, it was not reviewed by fact-checkers. However, this particular case caught the Oversight Board’s attention following a user’s appeal when Meta opted to keep the content visible.

Remarkably, the Oversight Board has upheld Meta's choice to maintain the public availability of this video despite it being misleading. They did, however, suggest that the video deserved a 'High-Risk' label, highlighting its digital alterations and potential to mislead the public amid significant events. How such media remains allowable is quite puzzling.

The Board urged Meta to ensure prompt fact-checking for similar high-risk material. They recommend establishing a dedicated review process for such content and provide better tools for fact-checkers to detect misleading viral media promptly. They also suggest improving the clarity of labels for altered media to educate users on the standards applied.

In a notable shift, Meta had suspended its US-based fact-checking initiative earlier this year, opting instead for the Community Notes feature. The company is considering expanding this system to other countries and has solicited recommendations from the Oversight Board regarding potential implementation locations.