Facebook apologises to Australian lawmaker over delay in taking down conspiracy posts

In a case of delayed action, Facebook has issued an apology over failure of handling reports of abuse received by Australian lawmaker Anne Webster from an online conspiracy orist. As per Guardian reports, conspiracy orist Karen Brewer -- who had accused Australian lawmaker of being a member of a 'secretive paedophile network' on social media -- has been ordered to pay $875,000 in dams after a federal court judge termed claims as 'disgraceful and inexplicable'. defamation payout order was anunced by federal court justice Jacqueline Gleeson in September.

posts were reportedly shared hundreds of times in April on Facebook and falsely accused Webster of being a member of a secretive paedophile network. Meanwhile, Webster’s husband and t-for-profit y set up to help single mors were also included in payout. Furrmore, Brewer’s account was t deleted by Facebook until a report on matter was published by Guardian Australia in August. 

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Webster slams Facebook

During parliamentary committee hearing on family, domestic and sexual violence, Webster questioned wher Facebook could support people subject to abuse online if it took around five months for Facebook to take action in her case.

Facebook’s Australian director of public policy, Mia Garlick, apologised for how social networking site had handled case and said she understands how upsetting and damaging untrue accusations must have been for Webster.

However, Garlick differentiated between Webster’s experience on Facebook and experience of people who are t public figures. She said content was t automatically removed in cases where public figures are accused of crimes, but added that Facebook reviews applicable laws to see if content is found to be in breach of law, and n it is blocked.

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Facebook official furr said that re were some additional legal complexities in  case. Facebook is actively engd in advocating for reform of defamation law to try to assist in more swiftly addressing se kinds of issues, she said.

On or hand, Webster also pointed out defamatory posts also targeted her husband and a charity, and she said Facebook’s abuse reporting tools were t fit for purpose. lawmaker furr said FB policies were t working and needed to be improved. Meanwhile, Garlick said Facebook’s machine learning and AI processes were being developed to ensure that abusive content was caught before it was posted, but it was hard to hard code in potentially defamatory content. 

Meanwhile, it is important to te that as part of a state and federal reform of defamation law anunced last year in Australia, social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter could be held liable for content posted on ir platforms.

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(Im- AP File)