The Oversight Board is a semi-independent board that reviews Facebook's moderation policies. It announced Tuesday that it would like more information on the cross-check system Facebook uses for reviewing content decisions. This was in response to a Wall Street Journal report that suggested that the system allows high-profile users to break the rules.
We are investigating the extent to which Facebook has been open in its responses to questions about cross-check and whitelisting in light of recent developments. We will receive a briefing by Facebook within the next few days. This will inform us of what we learn from them as part of our quarterly transparency reports which will be published in October.
Cross-check is at the Oversight Boards' attention
Cross-check, also known as XCheck, is supposed to provide additional scrutiny for high-profile moderation calls that may cause controversy for Facebook. The Journal claims that it covered 5.8 million people in 2020. However, only 10% of posts sent to the program were reviewed by Facebook's second layer of specialized moderators. The report states that the program included former President Donald Trump, Candace Owens and Senator Elizabeth Warren.
In the board's decision to keep the Facebook ban on former President Trump, Trumps relative protection through cross-check was mentioned. The board noted at the time that cross-check reviews are not widely known. A 2018 blog post was one of the most recent. The board advised the company to explain clearly the reasons, standards and review processes, as well as the criteria used to select accounts and pages for inclusion.
Facebook, as with all Oversight Board actions allows for some flexibility in responding. While the company has publicly stated its commitment to follow the organization's calls for individual moderation decisions, it reserves the right not to do so. The company is not legally bound by the rules of the board. Today's announcement, combined with renewed pressure to clarify a program that Facebook is already working on, may help us learn more about this controversial program.
