MEXICO CITY (AP) — Meta’s efforts to scale back political content on its platforms could limit the reach of people’s expressions of dissent or awareness during crises, including Venezuela’s post-election situation, the company’s oversight panel said Thursday in a decision on cases involving videos taken after the July vote in the South American country.
The quasi-independent Oversight Board urged the social media giant to apply an existing protocol for crisis situations “to ensure that political content during crises can have the same reach as other types of content.”
The decision came as the company clamps down on the amount of news and political content users see following years of criticism about how it handles misinformation and whether it contributes to political polarization.
Meta set up the board in 2020 to be a referee for content on its platforms including Facebook and Instagram. The company referred to the board two videos related to pro-government armed groups, known in Venezuela as “colectivos,” that were posted after the July 28 presidential election, whose official result prompted protests across the country.
One of the videos, posted to Instagram, shows a group of armed men on motorcycles pulling up to an apartment complex. A woman can be heard shouting in Spanish that the “colectivos” were trying to access a building, while the person taking the video can be heard yelling in the same language “Go to hell! I hope they kill you all!”
Meta determined the video did not violate its policies because “the expression was a conditional or aspirational statement against a violent actor rather than a call to action,” according to the decision. The board agreed with the company.
The other video reviewed by the Oversight Board was posted on Facebook. It shows people running and a group of men, presumed to be “colectivos” riding motorcycles. The man who filmed the video can be heard saying the group is attacking the people on the street. The caption in Spanish accompanying the post criticizes the government’s security forces for not defending people from the violent, ruling-party loyal gangs and calls on the state’s forces to “kill those damn colectivos.”
Meta took down the video for representing “a call to action to commit high-severity violence,” according to the decision. The board disagreed, finding that it is similar to the Instagram post and, in Venezuela’s current context, “understood as an aspirational statement.”
“The Board acknowledges Meta’s concern that allowing this type of expression could contribute to a heightened risk of offline violence in an ongoing crisis,” according to the decision. “However, given the specific context of Venezuela, in which widespread repression and violence is carried out by state forces jointly with colectivos, and where there are strong restrictions on people’s rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, it is fundamental to allow people to freely express their dissent, anger or desperation, even resorting to strong language.”
Thousands of people, including minors, took to the streets across Venezuela hours after ruling party-loyal electoral authorities declared President Nicolás Maduro the winner of the July 28 election. The protests were largely peaceful, but demonstrators also toppled statues of Maduro’s predecessor, the late leader Hugo Chávez, threw rocks at law enforcement officers and buildings, and burned police motorcycles and government propaganda.
Maduro and his ruling party allies, who control all aspects of government, responded to the demonstrations with full force. A Wednesday report from Human Rights Watch implicated Venezuelan security forces and “colectivos” in some of the 24 deaths that occurred during the protests.
While the National Electoral Council declared Maduro's victory, it never released vote tallies backing their claim. However, the main opposition coalition claimed that its candidate, former diplomat Edmundo González, defeated Maduro by a 2-to-1 margin and offered as proof vote tallies from more than 80% of the electronic voting machines used in the election.
Meta, then called Facebook, launched the Oversight Board in 2020 in response to criticism that it was not moving fast enough to remove misinformation, hate speech and influence campaigns from its platforms. The board has 21 members, a multinational group that includes legal scholars, human rights experts and journalists.
FILE - Protesters demonstrate against the official election results declaring President Nicolas Maduro won reelection in the Catia neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela, July 29, 2024, the day after the vote. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez, File)
CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California wildfire has destroyed 132 structures in less than two days, fire officials said Thursday.
The fire started Wednesday morning in Ventura County and has grown to nearly nearly 31 square miles (80 square kilometers). Its cause has not been determined.
Fire officials said 88 other structures were damaged but did not specify whether they had been burned or affected by water or smoke damage.
Some 10,000 people remained under evacuation orders Thursday as the Mountain Fire continued to threaten some 3,500 structures in suburban neighborhoods, ranches and agricultural areas around Camarillo in Ventura County.
County fire officials said crews working in steep terrain with support from water-dropping helicopters were focusing on protecting homes on hillsides along the fire's northeast edge near the city of Santa Paula, home to more than 30,000 people.
Kelly Barton watched as firefighters sifted through the charred rubble of her parents’ ranch home of 20 years in the hills of Camarillo with a view of the Pacific Ocean. The crews uncovered two safes and her parents’ collection of vintage door knockers undamaged among the devastation.
“This was their forever retirement home,” Barton said Thursday. “Now in their 70s, they have to start over.”
Her father returned to the house an hour after evacuating Wednesday to find it already destroyed. He was able to move four of their vintage cars to safety but two — including a Chevy Nova he'd had since he was 18 — burned to “toast,” Barton said.
The National Weather Service said a red flag warning, which indicates conditions for high fire danger, would remain in effect until 6 p.m. Winds were expected to decrease significantly but humidity levels will remain critically low, forecasters said.
Officials in several Southern California counties urged residents to be on watch for fast-spreading blazes, power outages and downed trees during the latest round of notorious Santa Ana winds.
Santa Anas are dry, warm and gusty northeast winds that blow from the interior of Southern California toward the coast and offshore, moving in the opposite direction of the normal onshore flow that carries moist air from the Pacific. They typically occur during the fall months and continue through winter and into early spring.
The Mountain Fire was burning in a region that has seen some of California’s most destructive fires over the years. The fire swiftly grew from less than half a square mile (about 1.2 square kilometers) to more than 16 square miles (41 square kilometers) in little more than five hours on Wednesday. By Thursday afternoon it was mapped at nearly 31 square miles (80 square kilometers) and Gov. Gavin Newsom had proclaimed a state of emergency in the county.
Marcus Eriksen, who has a farm in Santa Paula, said firefighters kept embers from spreading to his home, his vehicles and other structures even as piles of compost and wood chips were engulfed.
The flames were up to 30 feet (9 meters) tall and moving quickly, Eriksen said Thursday. Their speed and ferocity overwhelmed him, but the firefighters kept battling to save as much as they could on his property. Thanks to their work, “we dodged a bullet, big time,” he said.
Sharon Boggie said the fire came within 200 feet (60 meters) of her house in Santa Paula.
“We thought we were going to lose it at 7:00 this morning,” Boggie said Thursday as white smoke billowed through the neighborhood. She initially fled with her two dogs while her sister and nephew stayed behind. Hours later the situation seemed better, she said.
The Ventura County Office of Education announced that more than a dozen school districts and campuses in the county were closed Thursday, and a few were expected to be closed Friday.
Two people suffered apparent smoke inhalation and were taken to hospitals Wednesday, fire officials said. No firefighters reported significant injuries.
Utilities in California began powering down equipment during high winds and extreme fire danger after a series of massive and deadly wildfires in recent years were sparked by electrical lines and other infrastructure.
Power was shut off to nearly 70,000 customers in five counties over the heightened risk, Southern California Edison said Thursday. Gabriela Ornelas, a spokesperson for Edison, could not immediately answer whether power had been shut off in the area where the Mountain Fire was sparked.
The wildfires burned in the same areas of other recent destructive infernos, including the 2018 Woolsey Fire, which killed three people and destroyed 1,600 homes near Los Angeles, and the 2017 Thomas Fire, which burned more than a thousand homes and other structures in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Southern California Edison has paid tens of millions of dollars to settle claims after its equipment was blamed for both blazes.
Weber reported from Los Angeles. Jaimie Ding and Stefanie Dazio in Los Angeles; Ethan Swope in Camarillo; Eugene Garcia in Santa Paula; Amy Taxin in Orange County; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; and Sarah Brumfield in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
Horses gallop in an enclosure at Swanhill Farms as the Mountain Fire burns in Moorpark, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Tracey Tanner pets Brownie the goat while watching the Mountain Fire burn around Swanhill Farms in Moorpark, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Inmate firefighters battle the Mountain Fire at Swanhill Farms in Moorpark, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A firefighter battling the Mountain Fire watches flames from a firing operation burn off vegetation around Swanhill Farms in Moorpark, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Flames from the Mountain Fire burn along a hillside as horses gallop in an enclosure at Swanhill Farms in Moorpark, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Horses gallop in an enclosure at Swanhill Farms as the Mountain Fire burns in Moorpark, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Flames from the Mountain Fire leap along a hillside as a horse stands in an enclosure at Swanhill Farms in Moorpark, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Tiffany Hobelman leads a horse named Koshan from an enclosure at Swanhill Farms as the Mountain Fire burns in Moorpark, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Flames from the Mountain Fire leap along a hillside as horses gallop in an enclosure at Swanhill Farms in Moorpark, Calif., on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Todd Howard, left, sifts through the remains of his parents' fire-ravaged property with the help of firefighters after the Mountain Fire swept through, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Todd Howard, left, sifts through the remains of his parents' fire-ravaged property with the help of firefighters after the Mountain Fire swept through, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Todd Howard sifts through the remains of his parents' fire-ravaged property after the Mountain Fire swept through, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Todd Howard sifts through the remains of his parents' fire-ravaged property after the Mountain Fire swept through, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Firefighters and sheriff's deputies push a vintage car away from a burning home as the Mountain Fire burns in Camarillo, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Todd Howard sifts through the remains of his parents' fire-ravaged property after the Mountain Fire swept through, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Marvin Meador sifts through his fire-ravaged property after the Mountain Fire swept through, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A worker digs a trench in front of a fire-ravaged property after the Mountain Fire swept through, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A firefighter walks through smoke while battling the Mountain Fire on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in Santa Paula, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A helicopter drops water as the Mountain Fire burns along South Mountain Rd. on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in Santa Paula, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
The Mountain Fire burns above South Mountain Rd. on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in Santa Paula, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Kelly Barton, left, is hugged by a family friend after arriving at her parents' fire-ravaged property in the aftermath of the Mountain Fire, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Marvin Meador walks on the remains of his fire-ravaged property after the Mountain Fire swept through, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024, in Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A firefighter prepares to douse flames while battling the Mountain Fire on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Santa Paula, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A firefighter climbs off an engine while battling the Mountain Fire on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Santa Paula, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Firefighters with the Culver City Fire Department extinguish hot spots at a home destroyed by the Mountain Fire in Camarillo, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Firefighter Missy Forrett with the Beverly Hills Fire Department puts out flames at a home destroyed by the Mountain Fire in Camarillo, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
A horse stands in an enclosure as the Mountain Fire burns behind on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Santa Paula, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A firefighter prepares to douse flames while battling the Mountain Fire on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Santa Paula, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A firefighter watches as flames from the Mountain Fire consume a home in Camarillo, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Flames engulf a structure during the Mountain Fire in Camarillo, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
Flames consume a home as the Mountain Fire burns in Camarillo, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Smoke rises from the Mountain Fire as seen from a commercial flight near Ventura County, California, Wednesday Nov. 6, 2024. (Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)
In this aerial still image provided by KABC-TV, shows Los Angeles County Fire Department crews scrambled to contain a small blaze fed by erratic wind gusts that pushed flames through dry brush near Broad Beach along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (KABC-TV via AP)
In this aerial still image provided by KABC-TV, shows Los Angeles County Fire Department crews scrambled to contain a small blaze fed by erratic wind gusts that pushed flames through dry brush near Broad Beach along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (KABC-TV via AP)
Flames consume a home as the Mountain Fire burns in Camarillo, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Firefighters work against the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Flames consume a home as the Mountain Fire burns in Camarillo, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Firefighters work through heavy winds and smoke in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
A firefighter works in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
Flames engulf a structure during the Mountain Fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A helicopter drops water over a burning home in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
A political sign sits in front of a destroyed home in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A fire burns a house in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
A firefighter, moves bicycles as he works against the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
A helicopter drops water over flames in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Santa Paula, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)
CORRECTS CAR - Firefighters and sheriff's deputies push a vintage car away from a burning home as the Mountain Fire burns in Camarillo, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Television reporters film as flames from the Mountain Fire consume a home in Camarillo, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)