Posts Condemning Bus Harassment
UPDATED AUG 19, 2026
Standard Case 2026-032-FB-UA, 2026-033-IG-UA
Today, May 7, 2026, the Oversight Board selected a case bundle appealed by users regarding two videos posted to Facebook and Instagram that show sexual harassment on public transportation.
The first piece of content concerns a video posted on Facebook in which a woman who is not identifiable in the recording films a man sitting next to her on a bus in India. The man attempts to grope her and she verbally confronts him. The accompanying caption praises the victim’s reaction, expresses dismay at the lack of support shown by those around her, and raises awareness about the issue of women’s safety.
The second piece of content concerns a video from Brazil posted on Instagram, also recorded by an unidentifiable woman sitting next to a man on a bus, showing the man holding his genitalia beneath his clothes, while looking at his phone. The text overlay and the accompanying caption provide details on the incident while also expressing concern for women’s safety and the issue of harassment on public transportation.
Upon initial review, Meta took down both pieces of content for violating our policy against Adult Sexual Exploitation, as laid out in the Community Standards. However, upon additional review, we determined we removed these pieces of content in error and reinstated the posts with warning screens and restricted access to adults only.
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.
Case decision
We welcome the Oversight Board's decision today, August 19th on this case bundle. The Board overturned Meta's original decision to remove the content in both cases. Meta previously reinstated this content, and as a result, no further action will be taken on the case content.
When it is technically and operationally possible to do so, we will also take action on content that is identical and in the same context. For more information, please see our Newsroom post about how we implement the Board's decisions.
After conducting a review of the recommendations provided by the Board, we will update this post with initial responses to those recommendations.