Meta cut cross-check program of high-profile users in half, Oversight Board says
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, reduced its list of high-profile users in its controversial cross-check program by more than half since receiving recommendations from the Meta Oversight Board, the board said Thursday.
The decrease followed recommendations the board gave Meta in December 2022 to establish clear criteria around what users should qualify for the cross-check program.
Meta’s cross-check program was revealed as part of a Wall Street Journal report that included disclosures from Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen. The program uses different content moderation measures for certain high profile users, such as politicians or celebrities.
Meta said in March it would update its program in response to the board’s non-binding policy recommendations.
In establishing the criteria for the program, the overall size of the list has decreased by 55 percent, according to the Oversight Board’s transparency report released Thursday.
In addition to decreasing the size of the list, Meta has cleared the backlog of content to review from the cross-check program, another one of the board’s recommendations. The resolution time to review and take enforcement action on a post has decreased by 96 percent for 90 percent of the jobs created in the first half of 2023, compared with the second half of 2022, according to the board’s report.
The Oversight Board is made up of a panel of global academics, experts and civic leaders. It is run independently from Meta and funded by an independent trust provided by the tech company.
While the board’s recommendations on specific pieces of content are binding, the policy recommendations are not.