Note: For future Facebook updates about Oversight Board cases, please visit the Transparency Center. 

Update on February 25, 2021 at 10:00AM PT:

The board issued their binding decision for this case last month upholding our initial decision in this case. At that time they also issued a non-binding recommendation which we are responding to in the table below.

Update on January 28, 2021 at 7:00AM PT:

We welcome the Oversight Board’s decision today on this case. The board decided to uphold Facebook’s decision so we have taken no further action related to this case or the content.

After conducting a review of the policy advisory statement provided by the board in addition to their decision, we will update this post.

Originally published on December 1, 2020 at 5:45AM PT:

Today, the Oversight Board selected a case appealed by someone on Facebook regarding historical photos purportedly showing churches in Baku and a caption indicating disdain for Azerbaijani people and support for Armenia in the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.

Facebook has taken down this content for violating our policy on hate speech, as laid out in our Community Standards. We do not allow hate speech on Facebook because it creates an environment of intimidation and exclusion, and in some cases, may promote real-world violence.

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