Facebook’s board of directors is investigating allegations of special treatment for celebrities

The independent supervisory body of Facebook got involved because of a media report, according to which the online network makes exceptions to its content rules for prominent users.

The so-called Oversight Board now wants to clarify, among other things, whether it has been adequately informed on the subject by Facebook. Facebook has to become more transparent when deciding whether content will remain on the platform or be deleted, emphasized the committee in one Blog entry on Tuesday.

The “Wall Street Journal” recently cited internal documents of the online network written, Facebook created a system in which numerous users were effectively excluded from applying the content rules. In doing so, they could have allowed themselves missteps that would have consequences for ordinary members. Facebook’s rules prohibit, among other things, posts with insults or threats and the violation of other people’s privacy.

According to Facebook, the system called Cross-Check was set up in order to avoid errors through a second check of decisions about individual posts. According to an internal Facebook document quoted by the Wall Street Journal, in many cases this became a kind of free pass for celebrities.

According to the newspaper report, at least 5.8 million Facebook users are in the cross-check program. On request, Facebook informed the Oversight Board that it was only used for a small number of decisions.

The committee consists of legal experts, activists and former politicians and is a kind of “Supreme Court” of Facebook, whose decisions even founder and boss Mark Zuckerberg cannot override. dpa