Facebook is finally putting its promise into action Oversight Committee (Oversight Board), which aims to use the company’s independent judgment to defend free speech. According to the official website, “the committee will be comprised of approximately 40 people from around the world, representing a wide range of academic backgrounds and backgrounds.” The members will independently adjudicate cases of appeals for content removal that may “affect many users around the world.”

According to Facebook, the Oversight Board will have the authority to reverse decisions made by even CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The board will also hear cases pertaining to Instagram.

The cases tried involve hate speech, nudity and misinformation

There are six initial cases to be judged, four of them concerning hate speech.

In the first case, Facebook removed a post highlighting statements by former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad about violence against French nationals. Another post to be judged by the committee addressed the treatment of Uyghur Muslims by the Chinese government. One particularly thorny case involves using Nazi propaganda to show the dangers of fascism. The Oversight Committee will also consider removing posts denouncing the alleged crimes of the Azerbaijan vs Armenians from Facebook.

In another case, a Brazilian user appealed the removal of images of breasts from breast cancer awareness campaigns. In the latest case to be heard, a French user had a post claiming that chloroquine was a “cure” for breast cancer. Covid-19 removed from the social network.

Once the members appointed to the panels adjudicating each case make a decision, Facebook must respond within 90 days.

The Oversight Board may also make recommendations for Facebook’s own policies. The question here is whether the platform will actually make significant changes when the board opposes not just the removal of an individual post, but an entire company policy.

Through which channels you reach those people, classic and out of the box. Engadget