Facebook’s Oversight Board has begun allowing users to appeal the removal of content.
“Starting today, when someone disagrees with our decision to take down a piece of content and has exhausted our existing appeals process, they can appeal their case to the Oversight Board,” Facebook wrote Thursday, five months after the social media company welcomed a diverse group of 20 members to the board.
Emphasizing the board’s independence from company interference, the announcement included the unveiling of a case-management system for the board to use “that protects their privacy and keeps their data secure.”
“As its community grew to more than 2 billion people, it became increasingly clear to the Facebook company that it shouldn’t be making so many decisions about speech and online safety on its own,” the board’s newly launched website says. “The Oversight Board was created to help Facebook answer some of the most difficult questions around freedom of expression online: what to take down, what to leave up, and why.”
According to the announcement, the board’s decisions are binding — Facebook can submit cases to the board for review, but the social media platform cannot overturn a decision made by the independent body. Most of the cases, Facebook says, will be user-generated appeals. The Oversight Board’s website says the board will also have the authority to rule on specific policies that Facebook implements, in addition to content. If Facebook solicits a policy advisory from the board, it will “integrate the decision into its existing policy development process.”
It will be Facebook’s responsibility to provide relevant information to inform the board’s decision-making. In addition to details on the content that was removed and where it was posted, Facebook may also disclose engagement information, reporting information, and “additional pieces of content similar to the case in question.” Facebook will not provide “information not reasonably required for Board decision making.”
Asked about what information Facebook would provide the board if requested, a spokesman for Facebook told the Washington Examiner that “Facebook will review requests for additional details on a case-by-case basis, as detailed in the bylaws. We will only release information if it is necessary for the Board’s review and doing so, for example, will not compromise user privacy.”
“The board is committed to publicly sharing written statements about its decisions and rationale,” the board website states. “Each decision will be published and archived on the board’s website. Additionally, the board will release annual reports about its work.”
Given the board’s current size, the spokesman told the Washington Examiner that “the Oversight Board will not have the resources to hear all the cases referred to it, either by users or Facebook. We expect the Board will only hear a small number of cases at first, but over time we hope it will expand its size and scope, scaling up to 40 members.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Oversight Board for further comment.
