Supervisory Board wants Facebook to explain controversial VIP rules

The Supervisory Board is on Facebook to provide more information on its controversial “cross-check” system, following a report that the company has allowed celebrities, politicians and other public figures to break its rules.

“In light of recent developments, we are reviewing the extent to which Facebook has been fully available in its responses regarding cross-checks, including the practice of whitelisting,” the board said in a statement. “We expect to receive a briefing from Facebook in the coming days and will report what we hear from it as part of our first release of quarterly transparency reports that we will be releasing in October.”

The declaration comes a week after The Wall Street Journal reported that raised significant issues with the “cross-checking” system. Facebook said the rules were meant to provide additional attorney to monitor potential posts breaking the rules from high profile accounts. But according to The WSJ, these additional checks are often very delayed or do not take place at all, effectively allowing famous people to break platform rules without consequences. The report also stated that Facebook had “misled” the Supervisory Board by saying that it was “not possible” to share more information on the cross-checks, and that the system only had an impact on a “small number” of accounts.

The cross-checking system was also part of the decision to suspend Donald Trump from Facebook. “In our ruling on the accounts of former US President Donald Trump, we warned that a lack of clear public information about the cross-checks and Facebook’s ‘media value exception’ could contribute to the perception that Facebook is unduly influenced by political and commercial considerations “, writes the board of directors. . The group also notes that Facebook did not provide specific data it had requested on how cross-checking works.

It’s unclear how much additional information Facebook plans to share with the Supervisory Board. The company declined to comment on the board’s statement. But the Supervisory Board says it will release its first transparency report next month, which will provide an update on the overlap, as well as its assessment of how Facebook is making its recommendations.