Facebook it has not been a simple thing for some time social networks. Although it is a private company, with more than 2 billion people registered on its platforms it is practically comparable to a sovereign state, with all the annexes and connected ones deriving from the role. At the end of 2018 scandals of various magnitudes pushed Mark Zuckerberg to admit that he needed a independent governance system, capable of taking decisions on freedom of expression and other critical aspects.
The idea has become a goal and i have been announced in the past few hours early members of the Oversight Board, or a Security Council (or Control Committee) that will take care of checking the impact of certain decisions affecting the company's social platforms.
"We have always received expert advice on how to best protect our platforms, but so far it was we who decided what to allow or not on our platforms. These decisions are often not easy to make – most do not have obvious or controversial outcomes, yet many do significant implications for free expression"explains Facebook.
"That's why we created and authorized a new group to exercise an independent judgment on some of the most difficult and meaningful content decisions. So we sought the input of both Facebook critics and supporters, hosting a global consultation process made up of seminars and round tables with over 650 people in 88 different countries. "
The announced members (here names and biography, but they count themselves a former Prime Minister, a Nobel Peace Prize and various constitutional law experts and rights defenders) reflect a wide range of views (cultural, political, religious, etc.) and experiences. They have lived in over 27 countries and speak at least 29 languages. Deleting content, profiles, but also deciding how to act in the face of incitement to hatred, respect for privacy and harassment of all kinds, these will be the issues on which the board will have to make decisions which will then be applied by Facebook.
"They will make some decisions that we won't always agree with on Facebookbut this is the point: they are truly autonomous in the exercise of their independent judgment. We also expect the board's membership to be subject to criticism, but its long-term success depends on having members who introduce different perspectives and skills. "
The council is made up of four co-chairs and 16 other members. The selection of members together with Facebook will continue until it reaches 40 members, at which point it will be the same council to take responsibility for the selection of other members. The people who are part of this "Supreme Court" are directly linked to the Oversight Board, they are not Facebook employees and cannot be removed from Facebook.
Zuckerberg's company will implement the Council's decisions "unless it violates the law" and "will respond constructively and in good faith to the political guidelines formulated by the council." Appointment then to the "next scandal", to see how the Council will move and how Facebook will act.
