Facebook’s Oversight Board will remove posts flagged by users

An independent panel created in part to stop Facebook from censoring content now has the ability to remove posts in response to user complaints, the company announced Tuesday.

Facebook created the Oversight Board in October 2020, in response to complaints that the social media giant was stifling free speech. The board was originally meant to determine whether content that Facebook had banned should stay up. Now, it will also be tasked with the reverse, determining whether content that Facebook has allowed to remain on the site should be removed.

Facebook faces political pressure from the left to censor more content for misinformation. That pressure has escalated during the pandemic, as debates over expert opinion and vaccine safety have become more salient and tech companies have increased their efforts to control misinformation.

Facebook users can already report inappropriate content and request that it be removed. This new process allows users to appeal to the Oversight Board if Facebook does not remove the flagged content. The board receives hundreds of thousands of cases and has freedom to choose which cases it hears. Its rulings are binding on Facebook.

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