Facebook is largely “unclear” and “inconsistent” about its internal content banning rules, according to Michael McConnell, the co-chairman of the company’s Oversight Board. Speaking in an interview with American publication Fox News, McConnell highlighted the issues that the company faces with reference to the ban imposed on former president Donald Trump. The ban was imposed in the aftermath of the incendiary remarks that Trump made ahead of now-president Joe Biden being elected, which led to his supporters storming the United States Capitol, causing an unprecedented act of violence that threatened the American democratic process.
“Their rules are a shambles. They are not transparent. They are unclear. They are internally inconsistent,” McConnell is reported by Bloomberg to have said on Fox News Sunday. Talking about the Oversight Board’s role on this matter, McConnell reportedly added, “We gave them a series of recommendations about how to make their rules clearer and more consistent. The hope is that they will use the next few months to do that and then, when they come back and look at this, they will be able to apply those rules in a straightforward way.”
The move by major social media platforms Facebook and Twitter to ban Trump following his remarks were viewed by certain sections of America’s lawmakers as clear political bias. Many senators, especially those hailing from the Republican Party, claimed that social media giants today wield uncontrolled power that allows them to censor voices with being held accountable for it. In reaction, the senators have time and again called for breaking up companies such as Facebook, so as to divide their power, reduce their market monopoly and also called to hold them accountable for posts on the platform and the actions that are taken basis them.
Facebook has also faced similar allegations in other parts of the world. In India, Facebook has faced allegations of not acting against fabricated posts and fake accounts that looked to push political agenda and misinformation by various parties. Various sources have alleged that the company often chooses to not act on clear cases of content policy violations, but the company has defended itself by stating that all actions are taken basis its content policy and community guidelines. The company has faced considerable criticisms on this note, which somewhat ties in with McConnell’s latest statements on Facebook’s consistency of content banning guidelines.
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