Conservatives Skeptical Facebook Oversight Board Comment Process Will Curb Censorship

Conservative groups expressed doubt that the Facebook Oversight Board will direct the platform to stop its censorship in reaction to any critical comments it receives about a program that gives prominent users preferential treatment.

The Oversight Board for Facebook is collecting public comments through Friday on Facebook’s “cross-check” system, under which the platform maintains a “VIP list” of high-profile users whose content isn’t moderated as strictly as others.

Facebook announced the formation of the Oversight Board in June 2019, after workshops and roundtables by the tech giant’s employees. The board’s stated purpose was to determine what about Facebook Community Standards is fair and transparent, and what isn’t. The board is akin to a “Supreme Court” for content review. 

The Facebook Oversight Board decided to uphold the platform’s ban of former President Donald Trump in May 2021. After the decision, MRC Founder and President L. Brent Bozell said it’s “[a]nother win for censorship and the suppression of dissenting voices, and a loss for free speech.”