Meta’s Supervisory Board claims that Instagram should not have given in to pressure from the English police to remove songs of the drill music genre from the social network, a category belonging to rap with violent lyrics and that allude to recurring problems in marginalized classes by society.
According to the division, the platform made a mistake in complying with the request of the Metropolitan Police in London for the songs to be removed under the allegation that the material would be “encouraging gang violence in the English capital”, a statement considered by the north company. -americana in deciding on removal.
The police petition was based on the song “Secrets Not Safe”, by rapper Chinx (OS), whose video clip was released on Instagram by the singer, causing discomfort in the authorities. According to the police, the lyrics refer to a violent shooting that took place in 2017, instigating gangs to repeat the act.
The song was censored for allegedly inciting violence and hatred, contrary to the terms of use of the social network with penalty of removal. “Art is a particularly important and powerful expression of the ‘Voice,’ the statement said. The Council demands that Meta reverse the decision within 60 days and provide more details about its relationship with the Justice and authorities.
“Not all content that law enforcement would prefer to have taken down — and not even all content that has the potential to lead to an escalation of violence — should be taken down,” the ruling reads.
