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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 7 december 2022
Meta oversight board urges changes to VIP moderation system

By KELVIN CHAN tent thought to be break- has until Jan. 7 to decide been making changes tem to content from all 3
AP Business Writer ing the platform’s rules. whether to let Trump back to cross-check, including billion Facebook users and
LONDON (AP) — Facebook The Oversight Board’s re- on. standardizing it so that it’s holding annual reviews to
parent Meta’s quasi-inde- port said that the cross- Clegg said in a blog post “run in a more consistent verify its list of elite users
pendent oversight board check system resulted in us- that Meta has already way,” opening up the sys- and entities. q
said Tuesday that an inter- ers being treated unequally
nal system that exempted and that it led to delays in
high-profile users, including taking down content that
former U.S. President Don- violated the rules because
ald Trump, from some or all there were up to five sepa-
of its content moderation rate checks. Decisions on
rules needs a major over- average took more than
haul. five days, it found.
The report by the Oversight For content posted by
Board, which was more American users, the av-
than a year in the making, erage decision took 12
said the system “is flawed in days, and for Afghanistan
key areas which the com- and Syria, it was 17 days.
pany must address.” In some cases, it took a lot
Meta asked the board to longer: one piece of con-
look into the system af- tent waited 222 days more
ter The Wall Street Jour- than seven months for a
nal reported last year that decision, the report said,
it was being abused by without providing further Facebook’s Meta logo sign is seen at the company headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., on, Oct.
many of its elite users, who details. 28, 2021.
were posting material that Among its 32 recommen- Associated Press
would result in penalties for dations, the board said
ordinary people, including Meta “should prioritize ex-
for harassment and incite- pression that is important
ment of violence. for human rights, including
Facebook’s rules report- expression which is of spe-
edly didn’t seem to apply cial public importance.”
to some VIP users while oth- Human rights defenders,
ers faced reviews of rule- advocates for marginal-
breaking posts that never ized communities, pub-
happened, according to lic officials and journalists
the Journal article, which should be given higher pri-
said the system had at ority than others put on the
least 5.8 million exempted cross-check list because
users as of 2020. they are business partners,
The system known as such as big companies,
“XCheck,” or cross-check political parties, musicians,

was exposed in Facebook celebrities and artists, the
documents leaked by report said.
Frances Haugen, a former “If users included due to
product manager turned their commercial impor-
whistleblower who cap- tance frequently post vio-
tured worldwide headlines lating content, they should
with revelations alleging no longer benefit from spe-
that the social media com- cial protection,” the board
pany prioritized profits over said.
online safety and galva- Addressing other flaws, the
nized regulators into crack- board also urged Meta to
ing down on hate speech remove or hide content
and misinformation. while it’s being reviewed
Nick Clegg, Meta’s presi- and said the company
dent for global affairs, should “radically increase
tweeted that the compa- transparency around
ny requested the review of cross-check and how it op-
the system “so that we can erates,” such as outlining
continue our work to im- “clear, public criteria” on
prove the program.” who gets to be on the list.
To fully address the board’s The board upheld Face-
recommendations, “we’ve book’s decision to ban
agreed to respond within Trump last year out of con-
90 days,” he added. cern he incited violence
The company has said leading to the riot on the
cross-check, which ap- U.S. Capitol.
plies to Facebook and In- But it said the company
stagram, was designed to failed to mention the cross-
prevent “overpolicing,” or check system in its request
mistakenly removing con- for a ruling. The company