Facebook’s semi-independent oversight board says it will review the company’s “XCheck,” or cross check, system following an investigation by The Wall Street Journal into the use of this internal system that has exempted high-profile users from some or all of its rules.
The board said Tuesday that it expects to have a briefing with Facebook on the matter and “will be reporting what we hear from this” as part of a report it will publish in October. It may also make other recommendations, although Facebook is not bound to follow these.
The Journal's report found that many VIP users abuse the system, “posting material including harassment and incitement to violence that would typically lead to sanctions." For certain elite users, Facebook's rules don't seem to apply. Facebook Inc. had told The Journal that the system “was designed for an important reason: to create an additional step so we can accurately enforce policies on content that could require more understanding.” The company added that criticism of it was “fair" and that it was working to fix it.
A representative for Facebook declined to comment further on Tuesday.
The Journal's report, the board said, has drawn “renewed attention to the seemingly inconsistent way that the company makes decisions, and why greater transparency and independent oversight of Facebook matter so much for users."
Seth Schachner, Managing Director at Strat Americas, on Hollywood's latest blockbusters utilizing content creation. Plus, the future of YouTube and TikTok.
Ashley Gold, Axios' Tech/Policy reporter, discusses what the future of Google and search engines will look like after the tech giant faces an antitrust trial.
A labor rights group has alleged that Starbucks sourced coffee from a major Brazilian cooperative whose member farms were cited for keeping workers in slave-like conditions.
X, the social media platform owned by Trump adviser Elon Musk, is challenging the constitutionality of a Minnesota ban on using deepfakes to influence elections and harm candidates.
Seth Goldstein, Equity Strategist at Morningstar, breaks down Tesla's earnings report, talks Musk's future with the company and how stocks have responded.
Senior Health Correspondent for TIME, Alice Park, gives us a deeper look into how Eli Lilly's new pill orforglipron may change the healthcare industry.
Archer Aviation CEO Adam Goldstein talks about the advancements in electric air taxis and how his company is changing the future of air transportation. Watch!
