Do the countries of the world want companies like Facebook to do more moderation, or do we wish to think carefully about new models of content moderation altogether, that do not depend on more Facebook? It’s worth considering e-courts as an another adjudicatory mechanism, for example. Now is the time for out-of-the-box ideas. Facebook’s US-centrism is plain for all to see.
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The Oversight Board, an independent body set up by Facebook to review difficult moderation decisions made by the social media giant, has said the firm was right to remove potentially incendiary posts by former US president Donald Trump.
The board also said that Facebook needs to follow its own rules and either ban Trump permanently or reopen his account, rather than leaving him with an indefinite suspension. Effectively, the board has passed a contentious, high-profile problem back to Facebook to decide on.
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In January, as his supporters staged a violent protest at the US Capitol building, Trump posted messages on Facebook urging them to leave peacefully, but also alleging that the US election had been illegally tampered with against his favour. Facebook swiftly removed the messages and eventually indefinitely banned him from the platform.
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