Meta Platforms’ Oversight Board has instructed the company to reinstate a Facebook post that parodied Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz. The post superimposed their faces onto a Dumb and Dumber movie poster, depicting the characters pinching each other’s nipples through their clothing. Meta had removed the post, citing its policy against “derogatory sexualized photoshop” manipulations, but restored it after the board stepped in to review the case.
The board criticized Meta for overreacting to what was clearly a political parody. It noted that the original movie poster featured characters known for crude humor, and Harris and Walz’s altered image was non-sexual. Meta later admitted that its initial decision to take down the post was a mistake, blaming human error.
“This post is a typical example of political satire and should be recognized as such,” the board wrote, adding that Meta’s initial misstep calls into question the effectiveness of its content moderation systems.
Conservatives have long complained that Meta censors too much of their content, while progressives complain that the platform does not censor conservative “misinformation” enough. Meta relies on AI-driven moderation and outsourced human moderators, frequently failing to recognize satire.
Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg claims he is getting out of the election interference business. However, undercover reporters recently released hidden camera footage suggesting his platforms are still manipulating the online conversation in Harris’s favor.
U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Brendan Carr has also been calling out Facebook for censoring factually accurate information on the failure of a Harris-led rural broadband initiative in recent days.
