Oversight Board Ruling Shows Facebook Failing Again At Moderating Foreign Language Content

Question to FB Again is: Human Rights or Dictators?

AUGUST 11; The Facebook Oversight Board today released a ruling that could be a make or break decision showing whether or not Facebook will uphold international human rights standards, as the Oversight Board’s Co-Chair Helle Thorning-Schmidt has pledged, or will continue to follow national laws even under repressive and authoritarian regimes.

The Oversight Board made the same argument civil rights and human rights experts have been making for years — Facebook is completely failing to human moderate content in native languages, relying instead on AI translation that removes context and meaning.

It shouldn’t take their Oversight Board telling them for Facebook to figure out something so obvious — further evidence that the company isn’t acting because it’s simply not in their business interests.

It’s worth noting as well from the decision that “Facebook also stated that its removal was consistent with its values of ‘Dignity’ and ‘Safety’, when balanced against the value of ‘Voice’ According to Facebook, profane cursing directed at Chinese people ‘may result in harm to those people’ and is ‘demeaning, dehumanising and belittling of their individual dignity.’”

Facebook took no such care when it came to vile, racist remarks against black footballers last month, showing again the company’s scattershot and incoherent response to moderating hate speech.

We note the decision is about content critical of the military junta in Myanmar and the Oversight Board has ordered Facebook to restore it and meet international human rights standards. But will they follow international human rights standards in all cases, even if it means losing precious ad revenue? That’s the question everyone should be asking Facebook. Profit or human rights? Your play Zuck.