Meta Platforms Inc, the owner of Instagram and Facebook (NASDAQ:FB), has been called to “free” the nipple and modify its content moderation policies after it banned posts from non-binary or transgender individuals.
The oversight board approved two Instagram posts that showed the naked chests of a transgender and non-binary couple. It also stated that it had to comply with “international human rights standards”.
The advisory oversight board stated that Meta’s current policy is “based on a binary vision of gender and a distinction among male and female bodies.”
It stated that such an approach made it difficult to understand how the rules applied to intersex, transgender and non-binary people. This requires reviewers to make quick and subjective assessments, which is impossible.
Meta was advised by the board to undergo an evaluation with diverse stakeholders before revising and clarifying existing content policies.
It stated that these policies must be compliant with international standards to avoid discrimination “on the basis sex or gender”.
Meta is under pressure from its own oversight board. Meta agreed to pay US$725mln for a settlement to a class action lawsuit. The suit stemmed from alleged data sharing without consent in December.
It missed its earnings targets in October’s third quarter results, and had to lay off mass staff for the first time since last year due to wider economic pressures.