Facebook says that its long-awaited oversight board is going to start operating in October.
The oversight board was announced by Mark Zuckerberg two years ago, and will act as a referee on whether specific content is allowed on the social media giant’s platforms.
Zuckerberg announced the board in response to criticism that Facebook wasn’t doing enough to remove misinformation and hate speech quickly. The board is going to rule on several issues, including when specific posts constitute hate speech.
The board will begin by hearing appeals from people who have had their content removed by the social media giant. It will then look at appeals from people who want specific posts to be removed. Facebook itself can also send cases to the board directly.
“We are currently testing the newly deployed technical systems that will allow users to appeal and the Board to review cases,” the company said in a statement.
If these tests are successful, then the board is set to begin reviewing appeals in late October. It’s worth noting that the board was supposed to start operating earlier this year, but plans had been delayed.
“Building a process that is thorough, principled and globally effective takes time and our members have been working aggressively to launch as soon as possible,” the board said.
The board consists of 20 members, including journalists, legal scholars and human rights experts from around the world. The decisions that it make will be public.
Source: The Associated Press
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