Facebook Parent Meta's Oversight Board Increased Policy Implementation in Q3 2022

Facebook parent Meta Platforms implemented more recommendations from its oversight board in the third quarter than the second, the independent body said on Wednesday.

The oversight board received more than a quarter of a million appeals from Facebook and Instagram users around the world during the quarter ended September 30.

The panel, which includes academics, rights experts and lawyers, was created by the company to rule on a small slice of thorny content moderation appeals, but it can also advise on site policies.

Its policy recommendations are not binding, but Meta is required to respond to them, normally within 60 days.

The oversight board said 27 percent of its recommendations were fully or partially implemented by Meta during the third quarter, compared with 21 percent in the previous quarter.

Earlier this month, it recommended that Meta revamp its system exempting high-profile users from its rules, saying the practice privileged the powerful and allowed business interests to influence content decisions.

The arrangement, called cross-check, adds a layer of enforcement review for millions of Facebook and Instagram accounts belonging to celebrities, politicians and other influential users, allowing them extra leeway to post content that violates the company's policies.

Meta in July also sought the opinion of the oversight board on changes to its current approach given the improvement in authentic information sources and general awareness around COVID-19.

In related news, Meta's Oversight Board on Wednesday overturned a decision to remove a video that was shared on Instagram showing the gruesome aftermath of an attack on a church in Nigeria that killed at least 40 people.

The video showed the aftermath of the church attack that took place on June 5 in Owo, southwest Nigeria. Meta earlier removed the video, saying hashtags added by the user could be read as glorifying violence and minimising suffering. The user appealed against the removal to the independent board.

© Thomson Reuters 2022