Oversight Board slams Facebook for giving special treatment to VIP users

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On Thursday, the Facebook Oversight Board found that the social network’s «cross-check» program for VIP users lacks transparency.

Jeff Chiu/AP

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Jeff Chiu/AP

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In 1st Big Test, Oversight Board Says Facebook, Not Trump, Is The Problem

Facebook admitted, according to the board’s report, that it should not have said that cross-check only applied to «a small number of decisions.»

«Facebook noted that for teams operating at the scale of millions of content decisions a day, the numbers involved with cross-check seem relatively small, but recognized its phrasing could come across as misleading,» the report said.

When the board reviewed Facebook’s decision to ban former President Donald Trump, the company was not upfront about the program, only referencing it when asked about what kind of content rules applied to Trump’s account.

«The Board notes that, in the Trump decision, Facebook refused to answer one of the Board’s questions about whether the company had been contacted by political officeholders or their staff about the suspension of Mr. Trump’s accounts,» according to the report on Thursday.

The board also noted its precarious role, in which it can fully evaluate Facebook’s actions only if the company cooperates.

«The credibility of the Oversight Board, our working relationship with Facebook, and our ability to render sound judgments on cases all depend on being able to trust that information provided to us by Facebook is accurate, comprehensive, and paints a full picture of the topic at hand,» the report found.

Facebook did not immediately respond to NPR’s request for comment.

In its review of the program, the board said it intends to «ensure fairness and objectivity» in how Facebook implements cross-check. The company agreed to provide the board with documentation about how the system works.

«This should give a fuller understanding of the work Facebook has already done on a given topic. We will include analysis on whether Facebook is fulfilling this commitment in our future transparency reporting,» the report said.

The board said it plans to issue recommendations to Facebook on how the system can be changed.

Editor’s note: Facebook is among NPR’s recent financial supporters