Facebook will reportedly overturn its policy that shields politicians from some content moderation rules, according to The Verge.
The move comes a month after Facebook’s Oversight Board upheld the company’s decision to restrict former President Donald Trump’s access to the social network in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, though it took issue with the indefinite nature of the ban. An independent group funded by Facebook to review tricky content rulings, the 20-member Oversight Board in May said that the “same rules should apply to all users.”
Tech companies have long given lawmakers and world leaders extra slack when it comes to content guidelines, allowing them greater scope than ordinary users. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in particular believes his social network shouldn’t police politicians’ words.
“Often, seeing speech from politicians is in the public interest, and in the same way that news outlets will report what a politician says, we think people should generally be able to see it for themselves on our platforms,” Zuckerberg said in June, when Facebook began labeling rule-breaking posts from politicians.
Public officials remain exempt from third-party fact checking and are generally free from repercussions of illicit posts—as long as they are “newsworthy and in the public interest.” Facebook, however, does now label posts in an effort to make it clear why they are still permitted.
The Verge also tipped plans for Facebook to draw back the curtain on its secretive strike system, and begin disclosing when it uses a special newsworthiness dispensation to retain content from politicians. The social network did not immediately respond to PCMag’s request for comment.
