Facebook discloses first data on hate speech prevalence on its platform amid pressure

For the first time ever, Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook Inc on November 19 disclosed the numbers of the prevalence of hate speech on its website and said that out of every 10,000 content views in the third quarter, at least 10 to 11 posts included hate speech. The world’s largest social media platform is currently under scrutiny from many leaders especially in the United States where its role amplified in controlling misinformation amid the presidential elections. However, in a report, it released the estimate of hate speech in its quarterly content moderation report.

With concerns surrounding Facebook about content regulation, it said that action has been taken against 22.1 million pieces of hate speech content in the third quarter and nearly 95% of which was proactively identified as compared to the 22.5 million in the previous quarter. In the report, the social network has defined “taking action” as removing the content in question from the site or labelling it with a warning. Other measures include disabling accounts or transferring them to external agencies. 

The company also said, “We’ve invested billions of dollars in people and technology to enforce these rules, and we have more than 35,000 people working on safety and security at Facebook...But we believe decisions about free expression and safety shouldn’t be made by Facebook alone, so we continue to consult third-party experts in shaping our policies and enforcement tactics.”

Read - Facebook Ties Up With Asia's Largest Sports Media Property For Exclusive Content & Gaming

Read - Facebook, Twitter CEOs Oppose Changes Allowing US Government To Dictate Content Moderation

Facebook, Twitter CEOs oppose changes of US govt

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey on November 18 agreed to introduce an amendment to the controversial Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, they, however, rejected any changes on the platform that will allow the US government to moderate the content after they grilled by US Senators for the handling of US Election 2020.

From Republican Senator accusing the platforms of using the “power to run amok” to Democrats questioning if Twitter’s measures of flagging US President Donald Trump’s posts ‘disputed’ had gone far enough, the chief executives of the social media websites were prompted to defend its policies.

According to an NPR report, the tech CEOs upset the senators when they vehemently refused to make imminent changes to the regulatory model of their business. Communications Decency Act (CDA) prohibits the provider or user of an interactive computer service to be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider. 

Read - Solomon Islands To Ban Facebook Over Use Of 'abusive Language Against Ministers, PM'

Read - Facebook, Twitter Grilled By Senators On Poll Response; Social Media Giants Admit Mistakes