Meta Continues Battle with Open Speech vs. Content Moderation
Meta’s Oversight Board, known for its role in moderating content on Facebook and Instagram, is now expanding its reach to include Threads, Meta’s newest app. This move allows Threads users to appeal Meta’s content moderation decisions, giving the independent group influence over policies for the app.
What’s Happening & Why This Matters
The expansion is significant for the Oversight Board, as it now has accountability early on for a new app such as Threads. According to board co-chair Helle Thorning-Schmidt, having independent accountability for Threads is crucial.
Users on Threads can appeal content moderation decisions in a similar way to Instagram and Facebook. When users have exhausted Meta’s internal process, they can request a review from the Oversight Board. Meta is required to implement the board’s decisions regarding specific posts, but it is not obligated to follow its policy recommendations.
The addition of Threads’ content moderation to the board’s responsibilities demonstrates the app’s growing influence, with 130 million users and potential for future growth.
t/f Summary: What’s Next
Threads shares similar rules to Instagram, but has already faced criticism over its content recommendation policies. The app currently blocks search terms related to COVID-19 and other sensitive topics, and has received backlash for not recommending accounts with too much political content, unless users opt in.
While the Oversight Board may not immediately impact Threads’ policies, the decision-making process may take several weeks or months. The board only accepts a small fraction of user appeals, and Meta may take additional time to implement any changes.