Facebook's VIP system will be reviewed by an oversight panel

On Thursday, Facebook's oversight panel announced a probe into the company's system of exempting high-profile users from its own rules, accusing it of lacking transparency.

A series of damning Wall Street Journal stories resulting from whistleblower leaks has led to outrage and new lawmaker scrutiny on Facebook's impact on mental health and on the way it treats celebrities.

According to Journal reports citing internal Facebook documents, the "cross-check" or "XCheck" system shields millions of elite Facebook users from rules Facebook claims apply equally.

A semi-independent oversight board for the network said in a blog post that it "has accepted Facebook's request to review its system for cross-checking and make recommendations to improve it."

Following the disclosure of internal studies by former employee Frances Haugen, Facebook faced storm of criticism over the past month, prompting US lawmakers to renew their push for regulation of the company.

It also criticized Facebook for failing to be "fully forthcoming" with its oversight board, composed of experts who decide what is to stay and what is to be removed from the platform.

The panel noted that "Facebook provided insufficient information at times, and at other times it had not provided sufficient information," in reference to inquiries about the cross-check system.

A particular example cited was Facebook's ban on former US president Donald Trump, which was reviewed and ultimately upheld, but with sometimes incomplete information provided by Facebook.

"Deflect the paper and flip it over" -

Trump was subsequently barred from Facebook for two years, with the company saying he deserved the maximum punishment for violating platform rules with regard to his supporters' attack on the US Capitol.

We are unable to render sound judgments on cases until we are able to trust that the information provided by Facebook is accurate, comprehensive, and provides a complete picture of the case at hand,” the board wrote.

By the end of June, Facebook had answered 130 of the 156 questions about its decisions, partially answered 12 others, and declined to answer fourteen.

According to Facebook’s statement, it promised to be more explicit in its response to the panel’s questions. The statement said: "We believe that the work of the board of directors is influential, which is why we ask the board of directors to provide opinions on our cross-check system, and we will strive to provide them with a clearer explanation in the future." The tech giant strongly opposes the latest criticism, saying that reporters have selectively selected parts of its internal research in order to make negative comments about the company's work. The Wall Street Journal cited posts by well-known personalities, including a post by football star Neymar, which showed a nude photo of a woman who accused him of raping, which was subsequently deleted by Facebook. The posts of well-known users are the driving factor of platform engagement, so keeping celebrities on Facebook is very important for companies interested in continued growth.

A militant group calling itself the real Facebook Oversight Committee attacked the work of the group and even attacked its reason for existence. It said in a statement: “The Oversight Committee has always been Facebook’s public relations gimmick to cover up the company’s own failure to exclude hatred, racism and false information from its platform.”