The Oversight Board will tackle increasingly complex and contentious debates about what types of content should and should not be permitted on Facebook and Instagram and who should decide. The Board will prioritize cases that potentially impact many users, are of critical importance to public discourse, or raise questions about Facebook’s policies. Decisions made by the Board must be implemented by Facebook, as long as they do not violate the law. Oversight Board Members are independent from the company, funded by an independent trust and cannot be removed by Facebook based on their decisions.
Board Members Appointed for the New Global Independent
‘Oversight Board’ for Facebook and Instagram Content
“I want to make sure the Oversight Board is inclusive, and that the voices of the Global South are heard as loudly and clearly as the voices of the Global North,” said Dad. “I believe the Board can be a tool for change and I want to be at the table where these decisions are made.” Dad will work in collaboration with 19 other Members who speak over 27 languages and have diverse professional, cultural, political, and religious backgrounds and viewpoints. Over time the Board will grow to around 40 Members. While no one can claim to represent everyone, Members are confident that the global composition will underpin, strengthen and guide decision-making. The Board was designed with transparency in mind All decisions will be made public, and Facebook must respond publicly to them. All Board decisions will be published on its website, while protecting the identity and privacy of those involved. Additionally, the Board will issue a public annual report on its work to evaluate how the Board is fulfilling its purpose and whether Members believe Facebook is living up to its commitments. Members are independent from Facebook Members contract directly with the Oversight Board, are not Facebook employees and cannot be removed by Facebook. Members will serve for a maximum of three 3-year terms and case panels will be confidential and assigned at random; no Member can choose the panel they sit on, and all opinions will be anonymous. The Board’s financial independence is also guaranteed by the establishment of a $130 million trust fund that is completely independent of Facebook, which will fund its operations and cannot be revoked. The Oversight Board is focused on addressing some of the most significant content moderation decisions on Facebook and Instagram that are referred by both users and Facebook The Oversight Board will begin hearing cases in the coming months. Initially, users will be able to appeal to the Board in cases where Facebook has removed their content. Over the following months, the Board will also be able to review appeals from users who want Facebook to remove content, including advertising. The Board will not be able to make decisions on all of the many thousands of appeals from users that it anticipates receiving, but it will prioritise cases that potentially impact many users, are of critical importance to public discourse or that raise questions about Facebook’s policies. For more information, please read the Oversight Board’s member announcement. Nighat Dad, Pakistan Founder and Executive Director of the Digital Rights Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on cyber harassment, data protection and free speech online in Pakistan and South Asia, and has served on the Advisory Boards of the Dangerous Speech Project and Datactive, and as adviser on Amnesty International’s Technology and Human Rights Council. Nighat Dad is a Pakistani lawyer and a founder of Digital Rights Foundation, a nonprofit organization focused on cyber harassment, data protection and free speech online in Pakistan and South Asia. As a feminist, women’s rights activist and pioneer of online civil liberties in Pakistan, Dad has raised awareness of Pakistani patriarchy and illuminated her own experience as a woman engaged in digital rights activism. Her accomplishments include being named a Next Generation Leader by Time Magazine in 2015, the Dutch Human Rights Tulip Award in 2016, a TED Global Fellowship in 2017, and nomination as a Young Global Leader by World Economic Forum in 2018. Most recently, she was listed among 2019’s 21 Young Leaders from Asia by Asia Society.
