The Oversight Board says Meta needs to do more to protect regular people from sexualized deepfakes
Meta Oversight Board calls for stronger protections for non-public figures against non-consensual sexualized deepfakes after a failed moderation case
- Incident date
- Jun 2026
- Target
- an unnamed woman
The Meta Oversight Board has issued a formal call for the company to strengthen its protections for ordinary individuals targeted by non-consensual sexualized deepfakes. This recommendation follows an investigation into Meta's failure to remove an AI-generated video showing an unnamed woman.
What happened
The Oversight Board investigated a case where an Instagram user reported an AI-generated video showing a woman adjusting her dress with her underwear visible. Although two users reported the content, Meta initially declined to remove the video, arguing that it lacked evidence the depicted individual was a real person. Even after an appeal, Meta merely restricted the post to adults-only, maintaining that it did not violate community standards. The Board eventually overturned this decision and ordered the removal of the post.
Meta’s current policies generally require the depicted individual to self-report non-consensual imagery for it to be considered a violation of the Adult Sexual Exploitation policy. The Board noted that this reliance on self-reporting places an undue burden on private citizens, as alternative verification methods like law enforcement or media intervention are typically only accessible to public figures.
To address these systemic gaps, the Board has proposed several changes:
- Including AI-generated impersonations directly in the Adult Sexual Exploitation policy to define them as non-consensual by default.
- Allowing users to designate "connected accounts" to report potential violations on behalf of others.
- Establishing a dedicated reporting category for AI-generated sexual impersonation, distinct from general harassment or nudity, and making the specialized reporting form accessible to all users globally rather than just those in select regions like Texas and Florida.
The Board emphasized that the proliferation of sexualized deepfakes causes significant reputational and psychological harm, disproportionately impacting women and girls. While Meta is required to respond to these recommendations, the company is not obligated to implement them.