Facebook unveils its secret rules for removing posts
SAN FRANCISCO – Facebook is for the first time publishing its secret rules and guidelines for deciding what its 2.2 billion users can post on the social network, including hate speech, pornography, even cannibalism. It’s also introducing an appeals process for Facebook users who believe their posts were removed in error.
Until now, Facebook had not publicly disclosed the lengthy rules given to its content reviewers to guide their decisions on whether to remove Facebook posts flagged for violating the Silicon Valley company’s policies. And Facebook users, whose content was removed, had little recourse if they believed content reviewers made the wrong call.
Growing frustration that the policies — called community standards — are unclear and inconsistently enforced compelled Facebook to open up about how these decisions get made.
Facebook executives say they want users to understand how company policies are applied to their Facebook posts. The company is also looking for feedback from Facebook users on the policies.
“We think the new community standards are going to give people the knowledge they need to say: ‘We think you applied the policy incorrectly,’ ” said Monika Bickert, vice president of global product management. “This is going to be a way to give people a real voice in this process.”
The appeals process will give Facebook users the option of asking a team of content reviewers to take a second look when individual pieces of content are deleted for nudity or sexual activity, hate speech or violence, she said.
How it works
If your photo, video or post is removed for violating Facebook’s rules, you will be given the option to “Request Review.” Appeals will be conducted by a “community operations” team within 24 hours. If Facebook determines it made a mistake removing content, it will be restored. Before the end of the year, Facebook will extend appeals to people who report content and are told it does not violate Facebook’s rules.
The moves announced Tuesday are the latest in a series of efforts to restore public trust after 87 million people had their data taken without their consent by Cambridge Analytica, a British political firm with ties to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
They come amid growing scrutiny of blunders Facebook has made in policing content around the globe — from riots and lynchings sparked by the spread of hate speech and misinformation in countries such as Sri Lanka and Myanmar, to inflammatory posts attacking religions and races — even after U.S. users flagged them.
For example, Facebook refused to take down a photo of a black man missing a tooth and wearing a Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket on his head with the caption: “Yeah, we needs to be spending dat money on food stamps wheres we can gets mo water melen an fried chicken.”
But Ijeoma Oluo had her Facebook account suspended after she posted screenshots of racist comments and threats she received following a social media post.
While on a road trip, the black activist had stopped at a Cracker Barrel, which has paid millions to settle lawsuits over racial discrimination, and posted, “At Cracker Barrel 4 the 1st time. Looking at the sea of white folk in cowboy hats & wondering ‘will they let my black ass walk out of here?’ ” Facebook later apologized and pledged to improve its “process on these important issues.” It also removed some of the accounts that attacked Oluo.
Facebook executives say it’s a difficult balancing act to weigh what is acceptable expression and what is not.
An internal meeting is held every two weeks to review policies and update them when appropriate. Facebook also conducts weekly audits of content reviewers’ work.