Today, Access Now submitted comments to the Facebook Oversight Board regarding the company’s decision to remove former U.S. President Donald Trump’s account from the platform.
The comments focus on the lack of transparency in Facebook’s decision-making process, the uneven application of the company’s Terms of Service globally, and the platform’s powerful position in determining public discourse.
“Even if we agree that Facebook’s action to remove Trump was justified, the focus should not revolve around this single decision,” said Eliška Pírková, Europe Policy Analyst at Access Now. “We should instead turn our attention to the fact that Facebook’s decision-making processes are not transparent, yet their impact is global and far-reaching. The more important questions to ask are: How do platforms moderate content? And how do their rules regulate freedom of expression?”
Access Now submitted comments in the first round of the Facebook Oversight Board’s public consultation process, and, when the Board announced its first decisions, called out that the system remains flawed.
Access Now has been following the development of the Board since it was launched last year, and published a report on what the entity means for human rights.