After receiving criticism for giving VIPs preferential treatment by using separate review procedures for VIP posts versus those from regular users, Facebook parent company, Meta, on Friday announced an update to its “cross-check” moderation system.
However, Meta refrained from implementing all of the adjustments that had previously been proposed by its own Oversight Board, including the recommendation to make the list of high-profile accounts that are eligible for the programme public.
The Facebook cross-check programme came under fire in November 2021 after a Wall Street Journal report claimed that it protected some VIP users from the company’s standard content moderation process, in some cases allowing them to post rule-violating content without repercussions. VIP users include politicians, celebrities, journalists, and business partners like advertisers.
The Oversight Board made more than two dozen suggestions for enhancing the programme on Facebook, which Meta announced today it would implement in whole or part for the majority of them.
Additionally, Meta will improve the way it temporarily hides or removes potentially harmful Facebook contents while they are still being reviewed.