Mark Zuckerberg blindsided Metas oversight board with move to ax content moderation policies: report

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to eliminate censorship and content moderation policies blindsided the company’s oversight board — and the U-turn has led to friction among the members, according to a report.The 21 members of the independent board, which for years had been tasked with ruling on hot-button issues related to hate speech on the Facebook and Instagram parent’s social media platforms, were given little more than a cursory heads-up before Zuckerberg made the announcement last month, the Financial Times reported on Friday.The board’s leadership, which includes former Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, initially issued a statement in support of rolling back the fact-checking system.However, insiders told FT that the statement did not reflect the views of many board members, particularly regarding the loosening of restrictions on hate speech.Stanford law professor and board co-chair Michael McConnell observed that fact-checking efforts have historically flagged more conservative content than left-wing material, but lamented that Meta chose to implement reforms in an era of heightened political division.Now, the board is scrambling to establish ways to scrutinize the changes and ensure they align with human rights principles.One possibility under discussion is the release of a white paper outlining concerns and recommendations, according to the FT report.Another option is initiating a policy advisory opinion, a mechanism that would allow the board to formally request information from Meta and provide non-binding recommendations.However, this process would require Meta’s approval to move forward, and no decision has been reached on how to proceed.Behind closed doors, discussions among board members have reportedly been heated, FT reported.

Some members see the shift as an attempt by Zuckerberg to cozy up to President Trump, a move that has alarmed European civil rights groups.The Global Coalition for Tech Justice, a network of over 2...