January 28, 2021

"Facebook's Oversight Board on Thursday issued its first round of decisions, overturning several decisions by the company to remove posts for violating policies on hate speech, violence and other issues."

NBC News reports.
Thursday's decisions offer a sign that the social media giant's newly formed "Supreme Court" intends to err on the side of free speech. 
"For all board members, you start with the supremacy of free speech," Alan Rusbridger, one of the 20 board members and the former editor-in-chief of The Guardian, said in an interview before the decisions were made public. "Then you look at each case and say, what's the cause in this particular case why free speech should be curtailed?" 
Monika Bickert, Facebook's vice president of content policy, said Thursday that the company “will implement these binding decisions in accordance with the bylaws and have already restored the content in three of the cases as mandated by the Oversight Board.”... 
[I]n four out of the five cases reviewed, the board voted to overturn Facebook's original decisions. The board also called on Facebook to give users greater clarity over its policies and how it intends to enforce them....

You can read the description of the five cases at the link. The one case where the Board upheld Facebook's decision involved the use of a dehumanizing slur against Azerbaijanis.

I like the good start for the board. There's a Donald Trump case coming up, which you can read about in "Facebook's suspension of Trump will get a second look from oversight body/Trump will get a chance to submit a statement to the Oversight Board, which has 90 days to decide whether to restore his ability to post."

Facebook suspended Trump on Jan. 7, a day after his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a riot that left five people dead....

104 comments:

Yancey Ward said...

LOL! This is a fig leaf operation and nothing more.

Nonapod said...

Sure guys. I'm sure you're all super serious about free speech. What nonsense.

Wince said...

If you don't think that first day's "docket" of cases was hand-picked for PR spin, you're a fool.

MountainJohn said...

The censorship has already served its purpose.

wendybar said...

Who cares....Those of us who did, and got banned numerous times for idiotic reasons left a long time ago. Let it die.

rehajm said...

This needs the usual disclosure:

18 of 20 Facebook independent oversight board members have ties to political activist George Soros and/or his foundations.

Gospace said...

ERR on the side of free speech? Somehow that seems slanted...

narciso said...

They own the stage, like thar terrible atarship song.

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

Censorship is taking time off for a much deserved vacation. See you in time for the next big election!

Nonapod said...

So a bunch of Sorosites are going to determine what is permissible speech? Yeah, my confidence in the objectivity of our tech overlords is fully restored.

narciso said...

About that


https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/01/exclusive-independent-journalist-tayler-hansen-riot-turned-deadly-witnessed-us-capitol-riot/

Lucid-Ideas said...

Sounds like one of their corporate attorneys smart enough to play chess with himself decided to toothcomb their user agreement.

narciso said...

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2021/01/when-resistance-became-sedition-and-sedition-daniel-greenfield/

rhhardin said...

Trump has to submit, the board decided, as if the case weren't transparently bogus in the first place.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

All for the good of this man and his party.

PM said...

Meanwhile, Google threatens to pull out of Australia over 'govt overreach'.
The fight of the future, here now.

farmgirl said...

Some supremacies are more equal than others...
Censorship of free speech- how oxymoronic

Mike Sylwester said...

It will be interesting to see whether Facebook will allow its users to discuss the massive election fraud.

Will Brad Raffensperger ever explain the water incident?

RMc said...

"Then you look at each case and say, what's the cause in this particular case why free speech should be curtailed?"

"Because it was said by Republican, dummy! Duh...!"

clint said...

Smart.

Caving on this now (or even just appearing to), when the censorship isn't important anymore, could moot all the lawsuits that might have prevented them from reasserting the censorship the next time they need it.

Mike Sylwester said...

Facebook Jail

Facebook Medals

Calypso Facto said...

"Facebook suspended Trump on Jan. 7, a day after his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a riot that left five people dead."

Yeah, about that ... the oft-photographed Confederate flag carrier turns out to be Kevin Seefried, a registered Democrat from Delaware just like Biden himself. When does the impeachment begin?!?

mockturtle said...

So the Committee of Public Safety is giving a former US President a chance to redeem himself. How very generous. Fuck them all.

Mike Sylwester said...

Capitol Hill Riot: DOJ Arrest Reports Focus On Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Barely Mention Parler

mccullough said...

Theater of Free Speech

rcocean said...

How moronic. Some unelected private company now decides what people can and can't write! Its obvious Facebook is a publisher and should be treated as such. but the whole problem occurs because the sheep have decided to pen themselves up in Zuckerberg's corral.

Stop going to facebook. There's a whole world-wide-web out there!

rcocean said...

its as if we have cable TV with 500 channels, and everyone decides they're only going to watch ABC. Crazy.

Farmer said...

Wince said...
If you don't think that first day's "docket" of cases was hand-picked for PR spin, you're a fool.


Ding, ding, ding!

Narr said...

It's a trap!

Narr
Break off, break off!

donald said...

I was suspended three times for 30 days in a four month period responding to threats on my life and once a threat to have my company destroyed. Ain’t saying I was nice, but I was literally responding to threats.

narciso said...

Right as if every other platform ismt locking us out.

Michael K said...

I've been suspended twice that I recall. Once was about election fraud, I think. I mostly use facebook for baby pictures and dog pictures.

TheOne Who Is Not Obeyed said...

They're about to raise the chocolate ration, aren't they?

Kevin said...

For all board members, you start with the supremacy of free speech

So we have a free speech committee that Althouse is cheering.

glenn said...

Once again with feeling: The election is over, the upstarts have been sent to their stools in the corner and all is right in the world. And don’t ever try that s**t again.

Real American said...

a huge problem is these platforms are suspending or banning people for (1) for their speech or conduct when they're not on the platform, and (2) for the speech or conduct of 3rd parties. These platforms do not get to control what you do when you're not on their platform and shouldn't screw you over because of actions or speech by others.

Assistant Village Idiot said...

So even good news is not believed, because a branch of conservatives want to prove that they are really, really smart by being more skeptical. They aren't going to be taken in, not like the rest of you fools.

I said five years ago that Trump supporters were just liberals turned inside out; I moved away from that over the years, thinking they and he were making more sense. But under pressure, they have reverted to form. Trump was moderately liberal in the decade before the campaign, remember, and he has reverted to emotional, social arguments rather than intellectual ones in the last few months. So have his supporters, apparently. Yes, you see through everything. You're the smart ones. You read the minds and motives of others, just like good liberals are supposed to.

Facebook has made a good start. As they are liberals, they will likely respond to social pressure over time and any gains will be eroded. But it's something.

Gahrie said...

So we have a free speech committee that Althouse is cheering.

Silly me. I thought free speech meant that there was no committee deciding which speech should be allowed.

narciso said...

Every action has been a violation of section 230 in word or deed.

Rick said...

I like the good start for the board.

I wish it were a good start. A good start would be noting the pre-existing group which so absurdly mis-interpreted the rules cannot be responsible for executing any policy.

Furthermore it's not clear the upheld item should have been since the supposedly dehumanizing word is not identified. "Dehumanizing" is a trigger word for left wingers which is rarely actually dehumanizing. This smacks of the Title IX sex inquisitions where Devos's reforms eliminate the most obvious and egregious abuses but leaves intact a biased and weaponized apparatus which still performs the majority of its abusive mission.

pacwest said...

Facebook has made a good start. As they are liberals, they will likely respond to social pressure over time and any gains will be eroded. But it's something.

"The assistants were paralysed with wonder; the boys with fear. "What!" said the master at length, in a faint voice. "Please, sir," replied Oliver, "I want some more." The master aimed a blow at Oliver's head with the ladle; pinioned him in his arms; and shrieked aloud for the beadle."

narciso said...

They have covered up for massive unrest, hidden the source of the virus restricted valuable medical information and collydedwith other companies for the last year.

RNB said...

The most important thing about this set-up is not that the Lords High Executioner do or do not 'err on the side of free speech,' but that they are empowered to behead you if they judge that it is in the interest of the Greater Good to do so.

iowan2 said...

Already noted dozen of times.

Deciding which speech to allow is the opposite of free speech.

No one believes any of these platforms are going to let loose of its new found power to set and maintain the leftist narrative. Its power to determine the outcome of elections. Its power to suppress news. Facebook and the rest will handle The next "Biden laptop" exactly the same way

I got on facebook when the grandkids came along 11 years ago. Got in touch with old friends and classmates, but slowly drifted away. The stupid was too prevalent, and lies, and misinformation abounded. Also, speaking my mind risked offending work peers and customers. So self censoring was to much work. I closed out the account several weeks ago. I'm sure facebook never noticed.

mockturtle said...

They're about to raise the chocolate ration, aren't they?

Yep, from 2gms to 1.75gms.

I'm Full of Soup said...

I was booted from Twitter for telling the truth. I told a fat, dumb and liberal journalister that he was fat, dumb and liberal.

There is no way an insignificant nobody like me would get a "fair hearing".

Fernandinande said...

a dehumanizing slur against Azerbaijanis

I laughed out loud when I read that, because I'm bad, and because Azerbaijanis sounds like a type of plant.

At least facebook admits they censor perfectly legal language based on viewpoint. "Dehumanizing slurs" (what a silly term) are fine if they're directed at certain other people or groups, which reminds me...

Trump will get a chance to submit a statement to the Oversight Board

I hope he "submits" nothing, or a statement of "bite me".

Levi Starks said...

You want to know what really ticks me off?
Facebook is now, post election, fact checking negative posts about the executive orders being issued by Biden. With tags like “lacks context” or “partially false”. Well I can count on zero fingers the number of times they ever “fact checked” even the most horrible obviously false things said about Trump. Because he was the devil, and anything bad said about him was true by default.

Rick said...

Facebook has made a good start. As they are liberals, they will likely respond to social pressure over time and any gains will be eroded. But it's something.

It's very unlikely there are any liberals among the decision makers. This is partly because there aren't very many but mostly because those few are neither willing nor able to oppose the left. Since they know any effort to support liberal positions will result in their demonization and ostracism they will avoid those positions or at best remain silent whenever there is conflict between left and liberal positions.

Rory said...

"its as if we have cable TV with 500 channels, and everyone decides they're only going to watch ABC. Crazy."

But the grandkids are on ABC.

Oso Negro said...

Too little, too late. On Friday, I unfriended anyone with a "friend" who might be triggered by conservative posts, I deleted all political posts, I changed the name on my account, and deleted the account. No more. No reason to be at further incremental risk for "double plus ungood thought".

Mike of Snoqualmie said...

Flush Facebook down the toilet. It's a left-wing outfit with fascist tendencies, but I repeat myself, since left-wing and fascist are just synonyms.

Mike of Snoqualmie said...

PM said:
Meanwhile, Google threatens to pull out of Australia over 'govt overreach'.
The fight of the future, here now.


Is that a promise or a threat? Australia would be better off without Google.

Francisco D said...

Gahrie said...I thought free speech meant that there was no committee deciding which speech should be allowed.

Not in our woke world. Didn't you know that "hate speech" is violence?

That is exactly what they impeached Trump for. He won't be convicted, but the lesson is clear. Speak out at your own risk.

Mike of Snoqualmie said...

I'm Full of Soup:

You left out that that "journalist" was not a journalist but a left-wing activist cosplaying a journalist.

Tina Trent said...

Yes, because a bunch of “human rights experts” are going to support free speech.

It’s not 1985. So-called Human Rights Experts are the leaders of ever-expanding speech suppression quango courts in Canada, Britain, France, and so on and so on.

I think this news is terrifying, not hopeful. First they try out their speech codes at Facebook, then the DOJ appoints them to implement efforts such as that Massachusetts bill that tried to recreate Canada’s Human Rights Tribunal, the CHRT, in the America. Scary stuff. And yes, every one of these “experts” is credentialed and funded by Soros programs in law, technology and media run through MIT, Columbia, and scores of other universities and non-profits.

Bob Boyd said...

"the social media giant's newly formed "Supreme Court" intends to err"

narciso said...

'silence is violence' so we are told, if we do not approve the wreckers burning out store fronts and smashing monuments,

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

It's OK for mainstream democrats to inspire and condone Antifa thugs - but not OK for anyone else to get angry about leftwing corruption.

RigelDog said...

Desperate to know what kinds of slurs are used against Azerbaijianis....."Your nose hairs resemble a pine tree?" "No one really likes your baklava, they just eat it because they feel sorry for you on account of your piney nose hairs?"

Chris of Rights said...

So, what's the time lag here? Sure, nice that the board intervenes and they are erring on the side of free speech. But if I write something that's important and time-sensitive and Facebook blocks it, but the board "corrects" that error 6 months later, that's not really helpful, is it?

Big Mike said...

Gullible Althouse believes this is a first step in the right direction. Big Mike agrees with Yancey Ward’s comment (the first on this thread): a fig leaf.

n.n said...

The censorship has already served its purpose.

Facebook is of the school of thought that believe they can abort the baby and have her, too. Under the State-established religion, they can. It's over, I suppose. Just go along to get along like a good American.

n.n said...

Azerbaijani-Asians? Russian-Asians?

As we face our interesting times, let's celebrate our former first Orange-American President, and witch hunts, warlock trials, JournoListic braying, and protests over 17 trimesters in progress. Anything but boring.

Hold a pride parade to celebrate the king of the jungle, his harem, and cubs.

Throw a baby... Fetal-American on the barbie; reduce, sequester her carbon remains; and reuse, recycle her profitable parts for social and medical progress: one step forward, two steps backward.

The Crack Emcee said...

Like that, somehow, makes up for this. Election fraud is election fraud.

And it's even worse when done by a political cult.

Rabel said...

тазики

Or should I say т****и.

Narr said...

How things change. In history graduate school we were told that the term "dehumanizing" was not to be used, since it implies that one can de-human a person.

The Reds had unpersons, and we're following right along.

Narr
From un-person to de-human is but a step

BarrySanders20 said...

The US Supremes are SCOTUS, so I think the Facebooker Justices need an acronym.

How about Facebook Users Court, Kangaroo-Method Employed, or FUCK-ME.

Curious George said...

Facebook, along with the American Journal of Medicine, also reversed their position on HCL, How many thousands of people died because these fuckers wanted to push back on Trump.

Oh, well, you gotta crack some eggs....

Earnest Prole said...

Once again, with feeling: If a private provider of a public good (say, PG&E) denied a customer service due to their expressed political beliefs (say, shutting off a black family’s gas and electricity in the middle of winter because the father supported Black Lives Matter), we would all properly understand this to be a conspiracy against his civil rights, a violation of Title 18 Section 241.

Google, Facebook, and Twitter are private common-carrier providers of a public good. It matters not a whit they are private or face competition; when they deny free expression under the First Amendment they violate our civil liberties.

Title 18 Section 241: Conspiracy Against Rights

“If two or more persons conspire to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or because of his having so exercised the same, they shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.” (emphasis added)

Achilles said...

I like the good start for the board.


You are being such a Good German Ann.

Your masters are pleased.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Barry Sanders20 @ 2:22
LOL

I mean really - LOL!

n.n said...

the American Journal of Medicine, also reversed their position on HCL

The HCQ cocktail from the beginning, and Ivermectin protocol since spring and firmly since summer to prevent and treat even late stage disease progression.

Who could have guessed that higher doses at late stage disease progression would have negative effects, including progressive viability. JournoListic braying that spread disinformation and normalized social stigmatization exacerbated the problem.

Achilles said...

Gahrie said...

So we have a free speech committee that Althouse is cheering.

Silly me. I thought free speech meant that there was no committee deciding which speech should be allowed.


Don't take Ann's woobee away from her.

Remeber Ben Wikler is a Good Little Boy. Joe Biden is Normal. Trump and his supporters have to go so the news will be calm again.

Free speech is cool as long as it doesn't cost her anything.

n.n said...

From un-person to de-human is but a step

From The Great Leap (planned population) to one-child (minority choice) to selective-child (delegated responsibility) and concentration/re-education camps is progress: one step forward, two steps backward.

Ken B said...

It’s not erring.

It is too slow. THEY CAN BAN POLITICIANS DURING A CAMPAIGN. Saying “oops” later in not good enough.

They need to not have this power. Nationalize.

Leland said...

If Facebook insists on having what amounts to an editorial board making final decisions on what is published; I'd say they are de facto a publisher acting responsibly in regards to their content.

n.n said...

It’s not 1985. So-called Human Rights Experts are the leaders of ever-expanding speech suppression quango courts

Semantic games. Conceptual corruption. Conflation of logical domains. The very model of an ectopic, dysfunctional culture.

Daniel Jackson said...

Why doesn't Trump start up rival platforms. Then, he can tell these stuff shirts to take a very long New York Mile off a very short pier.

Take advantage of the current loopholes and continue to do what he as always done: beat the competition fairly and above board. It's about Real Estate.

narciso said...

you've seen how they tried to lock out parler and gab, and you still ask that question?

rehajm said...

Crack said cult. Drink.

rehajm said...

Who cares....Those of us who did, and got banned numerous times for idiotic reasons left a long time ago. Let it die.

Yes. For all of you hoping for public use or anti-trust intervention- it's not coming. Just leave.

iowan2 said...

Why doesn't Trump start up rival platforms. Then, he can tell these stuff shirts to take a very long New York Mile off a very short pier.

I wonder if President Trump is working on something along those lines.

If would be fun if he would come to Iowa to set up a rival server farm. Facebook is here. Last I counted they had 6 huge buildings, each stuffed with servers. I have a friend who's engineer son works for them. He does special projects. One was to replace backup batteries. Took him, an engineer, to supervise the 2 year project. Anyway. Trump could come in here a poach a bunch of facebook techs.

Achilles said...

Ken B said...


They need to not have this power. Nationalize.

That does not solve the problem.

The problem is centralized control. Taking it from an oligarch and giving it to government doesn't fix that.

Facebook needs to be broken up through antitrust. It needs to be turned into about 50 companies.

Achilles said...

Daniel Jackson said...

Why doesn't Trump start up rival platforms. Then, he can tell these stuff shirts to take a very long New York Mile off a very short pier.

Take advantage of the current loopholes and continue to do what he as always done: beat the competition fairly and above board. It's about Real Estate.


You mean like Parler?

rehajm said...

This is a fig leaf operation and nothing more

Many on the board are from shithole counties and places without free speech. Could it be they found Facebook's actions too oppressive even by third world standards?

Leland said...

"For all board members, you start with the supremacy of free speech,"

I see why Althouse highlighted this passage. If the board was to "start with the supremacy of free speech", then there would be no purpose for the board to exist. It is like Mike Rowe's "Safety Third". If it is truly "Safety First", then everybody would do nothing, because that's the safest course of action.

The Crack Emcee said...

rehajm said...

"Crack said cult. Drink."

You're already drunk: Crack can back it up. Go ahead and tease. You assholes couldn't throw me off this trail for all the money in the world. Do I say cult too much now? Before y'all said I was trying to start a cult. That was after you denied there were cults. But before you started swearing Trump had started one. I know who the focus SHOULD be on, though.

You fucking boob.

Paul said...

I quit Facebook a few weeks ago... they can sod off.

Daniel Jackson said...

Obviously, not like Parler. The issue is funding. I'm short that Trump could out fund the Parler people. It's about Real Estate. In this case, the Fourth. In fact, signing up for his platforms would be a simple vote of confidence.

Parler is not the same species.

PB said...

This is just a head fake. They're not going to change.

rehajm said...

Do I say cult too much now?

Yes. You say cult all the time. It's funny. You have an opportunity to have a light hearted laugh at yourself and move on. Your call...

Achilles said...

Daniel Jackson said...

Obviously, not like Parler. The issue is funding. I'm short that Trump could out fund the Parler people. It's about Real Estate. In this case, the Fourth. In fact, signing up for his platforms would be a simple vote of confidence.

Parler is not the same species.


You need to think about this some more.

Dude1394 said...

Battlefield preparation for the upcoming lawsuits.

Daniel Jackson said...

It is not for me to "think about this some more." That is up to Mr. Trump and I am not a mind reader. For a man made it to the White House, even for one term, on his own nickel, starting a rival platform to promote his own brand is NOT impossibility.

The question before us is HOW will Mr. Trump respond to this bullshit.












Iman said...

The usual horseshit from these visionary clowns. Not to be believed.

Anonymous said...

I would like to suggest a poll, by our patient hostess, Ann Althouse.

Where are we on the Kubler-Ross scale of American acceptance to the Borg? the collective?

1-Denial
2-Anger
3-Barganing
4-Depression
5-Acceptance.

I already know where you are, Ann, but where is everybody else?

Tim said...

LOL. Too little, too late. I left FB, and have no intention of returning. My hope is that they will go the way of Myspace, and fade into obscurity, and all the woke employees will end up with jobs at McDonalds.

Chris of Rights said...

Hercules, not that one though said...
I would like to suggest a poll, by our patient hostess, Ann Althouse.


I am in Anger. And I expect to remain so until at least January 20, 2025.

The Crack Emcee said...

rehajm said...

"You have an opportunity to have a light hearted laugh at yourself and move on. Your call..."

You had a chance to fuck off, too, but didn't take it - now who's the asshole? Nothing "lighthearted" about it, you NewAge Nazi shit-for-brains.

I swear to God, if people fucked with me as casually in real life, I'd be in prison for murder.

The Crack Emcee said...

I love people who go around fucking with others, talking about "You have an opportunity to have a light hearted laugh at yourself " - like they're charmed and that's their fucking job.

There wouldn't make it where I grew up.

Nicholas said...

Alan Rusbridger was for years the editor of The Guardian, Britain's most tediously left-wing paper (much loved by hte BBC). It was an early proponent of cancel culture in its "Comment is Free" section, which would deplatofrm anyone guilty of Wrongthink. It became a badge of honour for liberals (in the true sense of the word) to be banned from, as it became known as Komment Macht Frei.

Bob said...

I have to believe that, like The New York Times's discontinued Public Editor, the Facebook appeals board will only be allowed to continue until its mission conflicts too much with Zuckercocksucker's tyrannical impulses.

Anonymous said...

Crack-"I swear to God, if people fucked with me as casually in real life, I'd be in prison for murder."

On the plus side, you'd probably be released for the Covid PANDEMIC, so...you got that going for you...Protected class and all.