“The same rules apply to everyone on Facebook”, that was the mantra that company boss Mark Zuckerberg repeated for years when it came to explaining which posts are allowed on the platform and which are not. Information from a whistleblower who followed the Wall Street Journal now show that the truth is quite far from it. Accordingly, there are millions of accounts on the platform that can break the house rules (e.g. against hatred or nudity) without having to fear consequences such as blocking content or even deleting the account.
Prominent example: In 2019, after allegations of rape against him, footballer Neymar posted a live stream on Instagram in which the real name and nude pictures of the woman who had accused him could be seen: According to Facebook’s rules, a case of revenge pornography that led to the immediate permanent deletion of an account by normal users would lead. Neymar’s revenge video, on the other hand, was allowed to stay on the platform for 24 hours until the decision was made in the executive suite to delete it. The footballer’s account remained untouched.
Special treatment for Facebook VIPs
But not only stars with an audience of millions landed on this white list of the untouchables, according to the report, but also other celebrities, athletes, scientists and politicians. The list is said to have originated from a Facebook program called “Cross Check”, which the BBC reported on in 2018. The program was introduced to check certain accounts a second time before deleting potentially unauthorized content. This can be useful when it comes to satirical contributions. According to Facebook, it was also about double-checking sensitive cases, for example when activists report violence or journalists post from war zones. But it doesn’t only seem activists and journalists have landed on the cross-check list. Most recently, more than five million accounts are said to have been on it.
However, because it has become too time-consuming to double-check the posts complained of, Facebook has switched to simply no longer enforcing its house rules for many accounts, writes the WSJ. Facebook was well aware that such an approach can cause massive damage. The company even recorded how often content was viewed that should have been deleted: 16 billion times in 2020 alone.
The unveiling is part of the dated WSJ so-called “Facebook files”, in which the newspaper reported a number of leaked Facebook documents. Facebook does not explicitly deny the newspaper’s revelations. A spokesman nevertheless criticized the publications of the SZ: Many documents lack context, some are years old.
The documents show: The company employs a large number of researchers who are carefully examining the platform and its consequences for society. But if the insights they gain are unpleasant for Facebook, they are apparently kept under lock and key.
Instagram harms the psyche of young girls
Internal studies by Facebook researchers seem to show quite clearly that Instagram can cause psychological damage to young girls. About a third of the girls who are already dissatisfied with their bodies feel worse after spending time on Instagram, according to the researchers. Facebook boss Zuckerberg, on the other hand, had always publicly claimed that there was no evidence that Instagram could have negative consequences for teenagers.
A third case deals with a change in the Facebook algorithm that Zuckerberg announced in 2018. Instead of focusing on news, so-called “Meaningful Social Interactions” should be rewarded in the news feed in the future. But research by Facebook quickly showed that the focus on likes, shares, and comments led to more angry content being shared. Even parties would have formulated their messages more negatively because of this, but expressed concern to Facebook that this would harm society in the long term. Facebook boss Zuckerberg nevertheless refused to withdraw the change.