Two Looks Facebook Oversight Zuckerberg Klonick New Yorker The media are abuzz with reports of a Facebook executive’s arrest for alleged bribery, and the news has drawn the attention of the Oversight Board. It’s a big test of the Board’s legitimacy and the company’s ability to protect itself. Luckily, there is evidence that shows Facebook is voluntarily acquiescing to its rules. In fact, a recent XCheck report shows that the social networking site has not faced any major profitability problems since the onset of the Oversight Board’s investigation into the issue.
XCheck documents show that Facebook knows that its platforms are riddled with flaws that cause harm
The Wall Street Journal released a series of internal Facebook documents called “The Facebook Files.” The reports are part of a years-long investigation into the social media giant’s impact on the world. They include research reports, drafts of presentations to senior management, and online employee discussions.
“The Facebook Files” series was inspired by leaked internal documents from a former Facebook employee. These documents provide a revealing look at the social network’s efforts to moderate a torrent of content.
Among the trove of documents are the XCheck program. This is a system that scours the internet for “suspicious” posts and sends them to the hands of dedicated employees. Most XChecked content received little to no further review.
XCheck documents show that Facebook misled the Oversight Board
XCheck documents show that Facebook misled the Oversight Board, the body created to oversee the social network’s content review systems. The documents show that the XCheck program was mismanaged and that the Oversight Board largely agreed with the company’s decision.
XCheck is a tool designed to help detect inappropriate content on Facebook. It’s a program that has been used for years to identify and remove posts that violate the company’s content policies.
Despite the ubiquity of XCheck, it’s been criticized for its opacity. In fact, it was only recently that the Facebook Oversight Board learned about the program.
When it comes to XCheck, the Oversight Board wants more transparency from Facebook. It also wants to know how often the company makes mistakes. But Facebook has been reluctant to answer these questions.
XCheck documents show that Facebook is voluntarily abiding by its rules
The Facebook Oversight Board sharply criticized the company last week for its XCheck program. This special enforcement system was created to reduce the number of false positives that can occur from content being detected on the social media site. It also allows a select group of high-profile accounts to bypass the standard review process.
In the past year, Facebook added tens of thousands of accounts to the XCheck program. Most of the accounts included were politicians and government officials. But it also covered the accounts of prominent journalists and dissidents.
According to the documents, Facebook misled the Oversight Board. Instead of revealing that the content that was flagged by the XCheck system never received further scrutiny, the company said that it was working to change its policies to make sure that such content would not be found again.
The Trump case is the biggest test of the Oversight Board’s legitimacy
Facebook and Twitter may have a monopoly on our social lives but that doesn’t mean they are immune to criticism. The Trump saga has tested the stoic company’s resolve as well as its patience. Some users were surprised to find their social profiles blocked while others derided the move as unconscionable censorship. In the end, the company’s stance was clear: it would not tolerate abuse.
It’s unclear how long it will take the company to make good on its promise to rein in its overzealous employees, but that’s not to say it will be easy. The company has already admitted it did a poor job in the wake of the Rohingya crisis. Likewise, it has taken steps to ensure that its algorithms aren’t being abused by bots.
XCheck documents show that Facebook hasn’t struggled in profitability
XCheck is a special system that Facebook developed to protect high-profile users. In theory, XCheck is supposed to shield people from content that may incite violence or harassment. It’s also supposed to reduce the number of false positives. But according to documents released by former Facebook employee Frances Haugen, the company hasn’t had much success.
XCheck is an online buxic background check service that protects users from inflammatory posts. Last year, XCheck covered 5.8 million people. By 2020, it will cover at least 5.8 million.
Some users, however, have been exempted from the program. This included high-profile accounts like Donald Trump. Others have been whitelisted, meaning they are not subject to the company’s enforcement process.
Conclusion
Despite the whitelisting, some users posted rule-breaking material pending review. For instance, XCheck protected soccer star Neymar from being banned for showing nude photos of a woman. Similarly, the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion, a Mexican drug cartel, had a large Facebook following.
