The Verge
The deep inequalities of Facebook’s secretive cross-check moderation program
Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge
Today, let’s talk about a new opinion from Meta’s Oversight Board that attempts to square a tension at the heart of any big social network: on one hand, a desire to treat its users with equality; and on the other, an acknowledgement that in practice some groups of users deserve special treatment.
I.
No company wants to say outright that some of its customers matter more than others. But in practice, on social networks in particular, some customers do — at least when it comes to how their accounts and posts are treated. If the president of a country regularly communicates with their citizens on a platform (particularly a country that might ban or otherwise restrict your business), you want to be extra careful with any steps you take to...