Facebook's New Oversight Board Will Even Overrule Mark Zuckerberg

It looks like Facebook cannot win when it comes to what content can stay on its platform and what has to go, which is constantly under scrutiny from lawmakers, advocacy groups, as well as journalists. Therefore, the social giant is working on a potential measure: forming an independent board like a supreme court to oversee some of the toughest decisions on content moderation.

On Tuesday, the social giant laid out how the content oversight board will work in a final charter, noting that even the company cannot overturn its decisions. While there are other details Facebook has to work out, the establishment of the final charter shows that it intends to stick to its plans. However, the public needs proof that the new board is really independent and can secure user privacy as it affects some of the most controversial decisions.

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook CEO, said in a statement that the board makes the final decision. Zuckerberg said:

Initially, the board will have at least 11 members and will likely include 40 members in total, the charter reveals. Facebook will choose a group of co-chair, then they will pick candidates for the board. Each term will last three years, in which the members will serve part-time and receive payment via a multi-million dollar trust. The board is expected to acknowledge dozens of cases within the first year of operation, but the load could expand to thousands as it grows.

By plans, Facebook will choose the group of first board members by year-end. In 2020, the board will begin to hear cases brought by the company. Facebook users can appeal to the board’s decisions in the first half of 2020. Cases which are significant will be prioritized, including those affecting a lot of people, fueling public debate, or threatening individuals’ equality and safety, said the company. The board will also look into content decisions that people disagree about the result.

The board can also make recommendations on policies to the company. Facebook said that it will follow decisions made by the board even if it disagrees with the outcome unless the decisions violate the law.

Facebook’s director of governance and global affair Brent Harris in a Tuesday conference call, said:

He added that Facebook was considering including members from different backgrounds, showcasing different political viewpoints such as publishers, journalists, judges, and former lawyers who are experienced in decision-making following standards and group work.

The formation of the board comes when there are accusations of Facebook suppressing conservative speech, which it denies. Also, Facebook has been pressured to try harder in addressing hate speech, misinformation, as well as other offensive content. In 2019, the social giant faced criticism after deciding to leave a manipulated video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on its platform.

The company said that it formed the trust so that other firms can join in the future. Other companies like YouTube and Twitter haven’t revealed plans to create an oversight board yet.