Facebook's oversight board to rule on Trump ban

Facebook is passing buck for its indefinite suspension of former president Donald Trump to a quasi-independent oversight board, setting up a major test of recently established panel.

social media giant said Thursday that it believes it me right decision to suspend Trump after he incited his supporters to storm U.S. Capitol in a dely assault on Jan. 6. But it said it's referring matter to oversight board for what it called an “independent judgment” on upholding decision.

Facebook’s panel is intended to rule on thorny content issues, such as when posts constitute hate speech — or if decision to ban a world leer was right one. It is empowered to make binding rulings — that is, ones that can't be overturned by CEO Mark Zuckerberg — on wher posts or s violate company’s rules. Any or findings will be considered “guidance” by Facebook. board does t set Facebook policies or decide if company is doing eugh to enforce m in first place.

Its 20 members, which will eventually grow to 40, include a former prime minister of Denmark, former editor-in-chief of Guardian newspaper, along with legal scholars, human rights experts and journalists such as Tawakkol Karmanm, a bel Laureate and journalist from Yemen, and Julie Owo, a digital rights vocate.

first four board members were directly chosen by Facebook. Those four n worked with Facebook to select ditional members. Facebook also pays board members’ salaries.

Twitter, by contrast, permanently banned Trump from its platform. CEO Jack Dorsey defended his company’s Trump ban in a philosophical Twitter thre last week, saying that resulting risk to public safety created an “extraordinary and untenable circumstance” for company.

But he ackwledged that shows of strength like Trump ban could set dangerous precedents, even calling m a sign of “failure.” He suggested that Twitter needs to find ways to avoid coming to have to make such decisions in first place and lamented fact that y highlight extraordinary power that Twitter and or Big Tech companies can wield without accountability or recourse.

Im credits: AP