Case Description
In January 2025, an Instagram user in Argentina posted a carousel of text-only images in Spanish that form a poem. The post was shared at the same time as protests in Argentina against a speech made by the country’s President Javier Milei at the World Economic Forum, during which he criticized “radical feminism” and the “LGBT agenda.” The poem includes a broader critique of the government’s treatment of marginalized groups and is a call for people to protest. In the second image of the post, the poem speculates that the reader may not feel as directly impacted by the political context because they are not a “puto, trava, woman, retiree, or a student.” The poem then appeals to the reader, saying the author will protest for the rights of those choosing to stay at home when “they come looking for you.” Puto and trava are used to refer to gay men and trans women, respectively, and are considered slurs in Latin American countries, including Argentina.
The post was liked about 1,000 times and shared under 50 times. The second image was viewed around 6,000 times and was not reported by any users.
One day after the content was posted, Meta’s automated systems identified the second image containing the two slurs as potentially violating and sent it for at-scale review by a human moderator. Only this image, rather than all the images in the carousel, was visible to the reviewer who determined it violated Meta’s Hateful Conduct policy. As a result, Meta removed it and applied a standard strike against the user. On the same day, the user appealed Meta’s decision, and a second reviewer upheld the original decision.
The user who posted the content then appealed to the Board. In their statement, they said that the content “is a reflective and critical piece […] shared with the intention of fostering understanding and inspiring conversations around collective accountability and human rights”. It further states that “the post used artistic and thought-provoking language to engage audiences in a meaningful way, without promoting hate, discrimination, or violence.”
When the Board selected this case, Meta’s subject matter experts reviewed the post again. The company reversed its original decision, restoring the image to the carousel and reversed the strike on the user’s account. While Meta removes content “that describes or negatively targets people with slurs” under its Hateful Conduct policy, the company allows the use of slurs in certain circumstances, for example, to condemn speech or report on it. This type of exception applies when the speaker’s intention is clear. According to Meta, when read in the context of the full carousel of images, the slurs in this case were used to condemn the government’s treatment of marginalized groups.
The Board selected this case to address the recurring issue of legitimate political speech being mistakenly removed by Meta. The case falls within the Board’s strategic priority of Elections and Civic Space.
The Board would appreciate public comments that address:
- How Meta should approach moderation of content containing possible slurs when those slurs are used in political speech and/or artistic expression.
- The meaning and use of the terms “puto” and “trava” in this particular case and more broadly, as well as potential impacts resulting from their use.
- The risks associated with hate speech targeting LGBTQIA+ people on social media platforms, as well as the importance of such platforms for awareness-raising among LGBTQIA+ people in Argentina.
- Context of governmental measures and political discussion regarding the rights of women and LGBTQIA+ people in Argentina.
- Meta’s enforcement of content comprising multiple parts, such as a carousel of several images.
- Meta’s approach to content moderation tools and practices when launching news features and content types.
As part of its decisions, the Board can issue policy recommendations to Meta. While recommendations are not binding, Meta must respond to them within 60 days. As such, the Board welcomes public comments proposing recommendations that are relevant to this case.
Public Comments
If you or your organization feel you can contribute valuable perspectives that can help with reaching a decision on the case announced today, you can submit your contributions using the button below. Please note that public comments can be provided anonymously. The public comment window is open for 14 days, closing at 23.59 Pacific Standard Time (PST) on Tuesday 1 July.
What’s Next
Over the next few weeks, Board Members will be deliberating this case. Once they have reached their decision, we will post it on the Decisions page.
