Facebook oversight board to start operating in October

Facebook’s long-awaited oversight board that will act as a referee on whether specific content is allowed on the tech giant’s platforms is set to launch in October.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg said two years ago that he was setting up the quasi-independent board, following intense criticism that the company wasn’t moving fast enough to remove misinformation, hate speech and malign influence campaigns.

The board is intended to rule on thorny content issues, such as when Facebook or Instagram posts constitute hate speech.

“We are currently testing the newly deployed technical systems that will allow users to appeal and the Board to review cases,” it said in a statement Thursday.