KUALA LUMPUR – Manipulated videos, including ones involving politicians deemed “high-risk,” can remain on Facebook feeds, according to Meta’s Oversight Board but they should be clearly labeled to alert users.
According to Mashable SE Asia, the decision, announced November 25, stemmed from an appeal by a user seeking the removal of a viral video that appeared to show global demonstrations in support of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
The footage, however, was misleading, using erroneous clips to suggest a widespread pro-Duterte movement. Meta’s automated flagging process, followed by human review, did not remove the post.
While the Oversight Board agreed the video should have been escalated higher in the fact-checking process, it still supported Meta’s decision to keep it online because the post did not specifically violate the company’s political information guidelines. Meta currently prohibits misleading posts about voting locations, processes, and candidate eligibility.
The board emphasised the importance of handling viral misinformation seriously.
“It is imperative that Meta has robust processes to address viral misleading posts, including prioritising identical or near-identical content for review, and applying all its relevant policies and related tools,” it said
The ruling aligns with Meta’s broader trend of shifting away from heavy-handed content moderation. The board has previously advocated for AI-powered moderation and robust labeling of manipulated or AI-generated content as a secondary safeguard.
“Platforms should apply labels indicating to users when content is significantly altered and could mislead, while also dedicating sufficient resources to human review that supports this work,” the board said in a prior statement.
Meanwhile, Meta has downsized its human fact-checking team in favor of a global community notes program, raising further questions about whether labeling alone can adequately protect public trust against misleading or manipulated content. November 30, 2025