To the Editor:
The Facebook Oversight Board’s decision upholding the ban on former President Donald Trump has laid bare a fundamental problem with the social media network: It has utterly failed at reining in hate, extremism and disinformation.
Despite having policies prohibiting this type of content on the platform, for years Facebook has haphazardly and inconsistently enforced its community standards. As a result, the platform remains a repository for some of the most hateful, racist and anti-Semitic content imaginable.
Its algorithms routinely amplify and recommend this content, and the public has no transparent process to understand the magnitude of Facebook’s role in spreading dangerous conspiracies and racist, hateful violence.