Facebook: Requesting Oversight Board Guidance On The Cross-Check System

Facebook will soon be requesting Oversight Board Guidance on their Cross-Check System. Here’s all you need to know about that.

As confirmed by Facebook on their Newsroom, Facebook will ask the Oversight Board in the form of a Policy Advisory Opinion for recommendations about how they can continue to improve their cross-check system. In specific, Facebook will be asking the board for guidance on the criteria which is used by them (Facebook) to determine what is prioritized for a secondary review via cross-check, as well as how Facebook manages the program.

Facebook reviews billions of content pieces everyday. They also have 40,000 people working on safety and security, and have built some of the most sophisticated technology to help with content enforcement. In spite of that, Facebook acknowledges the fact that they are going to make mistakes. 

The cross-check system was built to prevent potential over-enforcement mistakes and to double-check cases where, for example, a decision could require more understanding or for a mistake there could be a higher risk. This may include activists raising awareness of instances of violence, reporting from conflict zones by journalists or other content from high-visibility pages and profiles where correct enforcement is especially important given the number of people who could see it.

Facebook knows that the system is not perfect. They already have new resources and teams in place, and they are continuing to make improvements. The recommendations by the Oversight Board will be an important part of this continued work.

“We have already implemented one of the board’s recommendations related to cross-check from a previous case by describing the system in our Transparency Center. Recently the board has expressed interest in looking more into our cross-check system. This referral goes beyond the briefing we have already provided. We are proactively asking the board for its input through a formal and transparent process.” says Facebook.

The Oversight Board was established to hold Facebook accountable for their content policies and processes. In the coming months, Facebook will continue to brief the board on their cross-check system and engage with them to answer the questions the board has for them. Facebook will also welcome their recommendations and their independent oversight. Adhering to the bylaws, Facebook will publicly respond to their recommendations within 30 days.