Facebook : Oversight Board Selects Case on a Veiled Threat Based on Religious Beliefs

Today, theOversight Board selected a casereferred by Facebook regarding a post in a Group that appears to exist for Muslims in India. The post contains a statement about a sword being taken from its scabbard if people speak against the prophet. The post also references President Emmanuel Macron of France.

Facebook deemed this post a veiled threat, and we took it down for violating ourpolicy on Violence and Incitementas laid out in our Community Standards.

Facebook referred this case to the Oversight Board as an example of a challenging decision about statements that may incite violence even when not explicit. It also highlights an important tension we face when addressing religious speech that could be interpreted as a threat of violence.

We will implement the board's decision once it has finished deliberating, and we will update this post accordingly. Please see theboard's websitefor the decision when they issue it.