The Functioning and Adjudication of the Oversight Board in the Context of Hate Speech
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59851/imr.13.1.11Keywords:
case law, Facebook, hate speech, Facebook Oversight Board, platform regulationAbstract
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to review and analyse the case law related to hate speech of the Facebook Oversight Board, focusing on the facts of all hate speech cases on the platform that were referred to the Oversight Board between February of 2021 and 2023. The case law analysis serves two purposes: on the one hand, it presents the diversity of the cases and, on the other hand, it highlights the controversial nature of Facebook’s moderation activities. The paper will briefly describe the Oversight Board as the body that oversees Facebook moderation, and in the context of the case law analysis, its shortcomings as ell. In this regard, the structural, regulatory and general governance problems of the Oversight Board are highlighted and discussed in detail. In addition to the literature review and the case law comparison, we also put forward three constructive suggestions to enable the Oversight Board and its mechanisms to function in a more reliable and highly efficient manner.
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