Facebook moderation system favours ‘business partners’, says oversight board

Platforms’ ‘cross-check’ system lets down ordinary users, whose content is less likely to be seen by moderators. Photograph: Dado Ruvić/Reuters

A policy designed to protect high-profile Facebook and Instagram users from moderation was structured to satisfy their parent company’s business interests, Meta’s “supreme court” has found, and did not prioritise protecting free speech and civil rights.

The oversight board, which scrutinises moderation decisions on Facebook and Instagram, said the platforms’ “cross-check” system appeared to favour “business partners” – such as users including celebrities who generate money for the company – while journalists and civil society organisations had “less clear paths” to access the programme.