Meta is changing a long-running policy regarding the Arabic word “shaheed,” which has been described as the most-moderated word on the company’s apps. The company said in to the Oversight Board that use of the word alone would no longer result in a post’s removal.
The Oversight Board had the company for a “blanket ban” on the word, which is often translated as “martyr,” though, as the board noted, it can have multiple meanings. Meta’s previous policy, however, didn’t take that “linguistic complexity” into account, which resulted in a disproportionate number of takedowns over a commonly used word. Shaheed, the board said earlier this year, “accounts for more content removals under the Community Standards than any other single word or phrase,” across the company’s apps.
In its latest update, Meta said that it had tested a new approach to moderating the word following a recommendation from the board. “Initial results from our assessment indicate that continuing to remove content when “Shaheed” is paired with otherwise violating content – or when the three signals of violence outlined by the Board are present – captures the most potentially harmful content without disproportionality impacting voice,” the company wrote.
The change should have a significant impact on Meta’s Arabic-speaking users, who, according to the board, have been unfairly censored as a result of the policy. “The Oversight Board welcomes Meta’s announcement today that it will implement the Board’s recommendations and introduce significant changes to an unfair policy that led to the censoring of millions of people across its platforms,” the board said in a statement. “The policy changes on how to moderate the Arabic word ‘shaheed’ should have a swift impact on when content is removed, with a more nuanced approach ending a blanket ban on a term that Meta has acknowledged is one the most over-enforced on its platforms.”
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