Users of Threads can now file appeals with Meta’s Oversight Board

The Oversight Board for Meta is extending its jurisdiction to encompass Threads. The independent group now has the power to alter policies for Meta’s newest app, as users of Threads will now be allowed to appeal Meta’s content moderation choices, according to the announcement made by the group.

This is a significant development for the Oversight Board, which has previously offered advice on matters pertaining to Facebook and Instagram post content moderation. “It is crucial to have independent accountability from the beginning for a new app like Threads,” co-chair of the board Helle Thorning-Schmidt stated in a statement.

The Oversight Board states that user appeals on Threads will operate in a manner akin to those of Facebook and Instagram. Once users have “exhausted” all internal processes at Meta, they can ask the Oversight Board for a review. Meta is not compelled to follow the board’s policy suggestions, but it is expected to carry out the choices made by the board with relation to postings, as per the guidelines set forth when the board was constituted.

The addition of Threads’ content filtering to the board’s purview highlights the app’s expanding impact since its inception last summer. Threads is akin to Twitter. With 130 million users now, Mark Zuckerberg has surmised that Threads may eventually reach a billion users.

Officially, Instagram’s guidelines apply to Threads as well. However, Meta has already faced some criticism from users for its content recommendation policies. Currently, search terms linked to COVID-19 and other “potentially sensitive” topics are blocked on Threads. Additionally, when the business announced last week that it wouldn’t promote accounts that post political content unless users are following specific content.

It’s unlikely that Threads users will see any changes because of the board’s suggestions for some time, even if the board decides to weigh in on those decisions. Only a small percentage of user appeals are accepted by the Oversight Board, and it may take the group weeks or months to reach a judgment. It may also take Meta many more months to amend any of its regulations in response to the guidelines. The process may be accelerated in certain circumstances by the board.