Facebook’s “Supreme Court” has ruled that Mark Zuckerberg’s social media platforms must unblock a satirical image depicting Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz as the idiotic main characters of the 1994 comedy Dumb and Dumber.
The Wrap reports that in a decision announced on Wednesday, Meta’s Oversight Board determined that Facebook’s removal of the satirical image, which features Harris and Walz grabbing each other’s nipples through their clothing replacing Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels on the Dumb and Dumber movie poster, was an overreach of the company’s bullying and harassment policies. The image, posted by a user in August, was accompanied by a shrug emoji and two middle finger emojis, and was promptly taken down by Facebook for violating rules prohibiting the sharing of “derogatory sexualized photoshop or drawings.”
The user who posted the image appealed the ban to the Oversight Board, a body established by Meta in 2020 to review Facebook’s censorship decisions. The board, comprised of 20 primarily leftist members including American legal scholars and the former prime minister of Denmark, agreed that the post should have remained on the platform, deeming Facebook’s action an example of “overenforcement” of its Bullying policy, particularly in regards to satire and political speech.
In its ruling, the Oversight Board emphasized the potential dangers of excessively removing political speech, especially in the context of an election, as it may undermine the ability to criticize government officials and political candidates, even in a sarcastic manner. The board stated, “This post is nothing more than a commonplace satirical image of prominent politicians and is instantly recognizable as such.”
The decision highlights the ongoing challenges social media platforms face in balancing free speech and content moderation, particularly when it comes to political discourse and satire. As the 2024 U.S. presidential election approaches, the role of social media in shaping public opinion and facilitating political debate is likely to come under increasing scrutiny.
Following the Oversight Board’s ruling, Facebook restored the original post featuring the satirical image of Harris and Walz.
Read more at the Wrap here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
