According to media reports, Facebook’s so-called “cross-check” does not apply to numerous celebrities. Now an independent supervisory body is to assess the controversial system.
Facebook has its system, which, according to media reports, has overturned the content rules for numerous celebrities, checked by its independent supervisory body. The announcement follows the panel’s own investigation into the subject.
The body is a kind of “Supreme Court” of Facebook, whose decisions even founder and boss Mark Zuckerberg cannot override. It consists of legal experts, activists and former politicians.
The now controversial system called “Cross-Check” was introduced, according to Facebook, to avoid errors when removing content. In some cases, such decisions are subjected to a second review – for example, to take into account additional context or other factors such as newsworthiness.
The “Wall Street Journal” recently wrote, citing internal documents of the online network, however, that this had led to the fact that numerous prominent users were effectively excluded from the application of the content rules through “cross-check”. In doing so, they could have allowed themselves missteps that would have consequences for ordinary members.
Facebook is now asking the supervisory body to examine, among other things, the criteria according to which content decisions are selected for a double check. The committee itself is already looking into the question of whether it has been adequately informed about the system by Facebook in the past.
According to the newspaper report, at least 5.8 million Facebook users are in the “cross-check” program. On request, Facebook informed the Oversight Board that it was only used for a small number of decisions.
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