The social network doesn't get much love from progressives, either. They point to the suspensions of Trump and right-wing extremist Alex Jones. Conservatives say the company and the rest of Silicon Valley are biased against their views. Why does Facebook want an oversight board?įacebook gets criticized by just about everybody for just about every decision it makes. Over time, those recommendations could affect what users are allowed to post, which could make content moderation easier. The oversight board can also make suggestions for changes to Facebook's policies. Facebook can also refer cases to the board. If the board sides with the user, Facebook must restore the post. Users who believe content moderators have removed their posts improperly can appeal to the board for a second opinion. The board functions a lot like a court, which isn't surprising given that a Harvard law professor came up with the idea.
FACEBOOK OVERSIGHT FREE
The board exists to support the " right to free expression" of Facebook's nearly 3 billion users. Let's get something straight: The oversight board doesn't do the same job as content moderators, who make decisions on whether individual posts to Facebook comply with the social network's rules. Here's what you need to know about Facebook's oversight board: What are the board's responsibilities? In May, the board said the social network was justified in suspending Trump amid concerns he could foment more violence after the deadly Capitol Hill riot on Jan. To date, the board's highest-profile action was upholding Facebook's suspension of former President Donald Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts. A group of vocal critics has set up a shadow organization, which it calls the Real Facebook Oversight Board. The findings from the documents have revived scrutiny by US and UK lawmakers.Ĭritics of Facebook, which was used by Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election, say the company doesn't take its responsibility seriously enough and don't believe the oversight board moves fast enough or goes far enough. Frances Haugen, the whistleblower who leaked the documents, has testified at Congress and Parliament.
FACEBOOK OVERSIGHT SERIES
The company has been the subject of a series of scathing stories in The Wall Street Journal and elsewhere based on leaked internal documents that suggest the company was aware of the harm its products were causing but prioritized profits.
The board didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.įacebook's desire to change its relationship with the oversight board comes as the company deals with one of the roughest patches in its 17-year history. Monika Bickert, vice president of content policy at Facebook, declined to offer more details about what the company was seeking during a conference call with reporters.
"We believe the current design of the recommendation process may not be the best way to bring about the long-term, structural changes the board is pushing us to undertake," Facebook said in the report. Still, the pace of recommendations was too quick for Facebook to keep up with. Based on the board's recommendations, Facebook has developed guidelines for satire, updated nudity detection to protect health-related posts and begun testing messaging for hate speech violations in languages other than English, the company said. The company praised the oversight board, saying it had "pushed" Facebook to be more transparent about its operations. In a report released Tuesday, the giant social network says it wants to work with the quasi-independent body to "improve the recommendation process." The company, which recently rebranded as Meta, didn't detail what changes it might be seeking but said it had spoken with the board. Facebook says it can't keep up with the recommendations its oversight board is producing and wants changes to the process.