What is Facebook Oversight Board and its Purpose.
                     WHAT IS FACEBOOK 
OVERSIGHT BOARD AND ITS 
PURPOSE?
• Facebook’s Oversight Board on Wednesday 
upheld the social media network’s decision 
on January 7 to block the then-US President 
Donald Trump from its platform.
INTRODUCTION • Facebook had decided to indefinitely block 
Mr. Trump for using the platform to, as its 
CEO Mark Zuckerberg put it then, “incite 
violent insurrection against a democratically 
elected government.”
Source: www.thehindu.com
WHAT IS THE • The Oversight Board has been set up as an 
OVERSIGHT independent body that will help Facebook figure out what content can be allowed on 
the platform and what ought to be removed. 
BOARD?
Source: www.thehindu.com
WHAT EXACTLY 
DID THE BOARD 
• The board did uphold Facebook’s decision to 
RULE IN THIS block Mr. Trump but also said “it was not appropriate for Facebook to impose the 
CASE INVOLVING indeterminate and standardless penalty of indefinite suspension.”
MR. TRUMP?
Source: www.thehindu.com
• Indefinite suspensions aren’t part of its 
RESPONSE MIX response mix, which is what has been flagged. 
OF FACEBOOK • The Board has now given Facebook six months to produce a “proportionate 
response that is consistent with the rules 
that are applied to other users of its 
platform.”
Source: www.thehindu.com
WHAT ELSE DID 
IT FIND OUT • The investigation showed that prior to 
January 6, five of Mr. Trump’s posts had been 
ABOUT MR. found violating Facebook’s community standards. They were therefore removed. 
TRUMP’S • The Board said Facebook didn’t explain “why other violating content it had removed did 
POSTS? not result in strikes.”
Source: www.thehindu.com
• The Board wants Facebook to act quickly 
WHAT ARE ITS when it comes to content of a political 
nature coming from influential users. 
RECOMMENDATIONS? • It wants Facebook to be more transparent 
about its policies regarding assistance to 
investigations as well as its penalty rules.
Source: www.thehindu.com
WHAT ARE ITS • It also wants Facebook to comprehensively 
RECOMMENDATIONS review its “potential contribution to the narrative of electoral fraud and the 
CONT. exacerbated tensions that culminated in the violence in the United States on January 6. 
Source: www.thehindu.com
• The board is not designed to be a simple 
extension of Facebook's existing content 
REVIEW PROCESS review process. 
• Rather, it will review a selected number of 
highly emblematic cases and determine if 
decisions were made in accordance with 
Facebook's stated values and policies.
Source: oversightboard.com
PURPOSE OF • The purpose of the board is to promote free expression by making principled, 
OVERSIGHT BOARD independent decisions regarding content on Facebook and Instagram and by issuing 
recommendations on the relevant Facebook 
Company Content Policy.
Source: www.thehindu.com
INDEPENDENCE • The board's independent judgment is critical to its function. Board members are being 
carefully chosen for the diversity of their 
expertise and the quality of their judgment. 
Source: https://oversightboard.com/