Facebook and Instagram are accused of favoring celebrities and treating them unfairly equal to other users

An investigation report on the “XCheck” system of the two MXH platforms conducted by the Oversight Board showed that one of the program’s biggest flaws was that it was “ structured “ to meet business interests “ instead of fulfilling Meta’s commitment to human rights as the company claims.

Accordingly, Meta was criticized for failing to control rule violations on Facebook and Instagram through the XCheck program. This makes it possible for misleading or harmful content to exist indefinitely in cyberspace, if they are created by “privileged” users.

The report states: “The Council understands that Meta is a business, but providing an extra layer of protection to a select few users primarily for commercial gain would be a challenge and “ a potential risk. The vetting should have immediately removed inappropriate content, allowing them to be maintained for a longer period of time .”

In 2019, Brazilian soccer star Neymar posted several offensive images of a woman who had previously accused him of rape to her Facebook and Instagram accounts. The photos reached 56 views and existed for more than a day, but it is worth mentioning that the moderators at Facebook and Instagram were unable to immediately take down the posts due to Neymar’s status as a user. has been cross-examined, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

The cross-check program was also rated “ unequal treatment of users “ , which goes against Meta’s claims that the policies apply to all users. Facebook and Instagram.

This injustice is mainly related to the lack of transparency criteria in Meta’s cross-checklist. Although the company has clear criteria for business or government leaders, users such as journalists and social organizations have little chance of bypassing the program’s control.

Meta’s supervisory board made a total of 32 recommendations to the company on how to overhaul the program, including transparency and a greater focus on equality among users.

A spokesperson for Meta said it would start reviewing proposals now and share feedback in 90 days.

The independent oversight panel was set up by Meta to investigate after the WSJ published a sensational October 2021 article detailing how Facebook and Instagram protect millions of famous users from protocols. and corporate censorship.

The “XCheck” program was originally intended as a quality control measure for attacks on well-known accounts, including stars, politicians or journalists. But according to the WSJ, today it has become a means of protecting millions of VIP users from the company’s usual censorship enforcement process.

Some users are “whitelisted,” meaning they are exempt from enforcement actions, while users who are allowed to post other rule-breaking material must wait for review by Facebook staff.

“It’s disappointing for a system that Meta describes as making human rights commitments or treating users equally. It’s not. It’s a privilege-based system,” the law said. Monk Nighat Dad, a member of the Supervisory Board, told Euronews Next.

Source: Fortune, WSJ, Euronews Next