Facebook’s special treatment of celebrities is under review by the Oversight Board

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Earlier this month, it was revealed that Facebook has a program in place that is specially designed to help celebrities and notable figures avoid moderation. Now, the company’s Oversight Board has begun an investigation into the matter.

The Oversight Board announced its plans to investigate the secret program that Facebook has in place earlier this week on its own website. In an effort to increase transparency between the platform and its users, the Oversight Board has been examining Facebook’s program and plans to report its findings in October.

The Oversight Board plans to be briefed by Facebook later this week. Its report in October will be the first of the new quarterly transparency reports that the Board has established.

“In light of recent developments, we are looking into the degree to which Facebook has been fully forthcoming in its responses in relation to cross-check, including the practice of whitelisting. The Board has reached out to Facebook to request they provide further clarity about the information previously shared with us,” reads the Oversight Board statement.

Facebook’s Oversight Board was established in 2019 by Mark Zuckerberg himself. As its name suggests, the Board oversees the platform’s operations and can overturn any decisions made by executives. It has been active in the past, with its most recent activity confirming the company’s ban of Donald Trump a few months ago.

Still, the Oversight Board is a Facebook entity, and many people believe that it is too closely tied with the company to be relied upon to oversee the platform’s actions. It will be interesting to see what decision the Board has come up with in its October report.

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