For the past weeks, Facebook has been on a damage control exercise since it became involved in a scandal that has tarnished its image. Concerns have been raised about Facebook’s handling of user’s information and the safeguards it has in place to protect the information.
Now, the social media giant is going to officially publish rules that determine what makes a user get banned on the platform. The rules have been shrouded in confusion and secrecy for years, though they have leaked before.
The rules will be published in the background of reports which pointed out that Facebook has double standards when it comes to banning users.
For instance, last year it was reported that women are getting banned on Facebook for posting that “men are scum” but if you post “women are scum” you will get away with it. And also, Facebook’s policy of banning images containing female body parts has been criticised by women groups.
The California based company said it will also update the way it handles reports in a way that allows users to request a “review” when their post has been taken down on Facebook. Additionally, users who would report that a certain post has broken down the rules would be able to appeal the decision too.
But this is not because of Cambridge Analytica scandal
You may think that Facebook is taking this step as a response to the Cambridge Analytica. But according to its head of content policy, Mary deBree Facebook has been working on publishing the rules way before the Cambridge Analytica scandal. She said they “started drafting in earnest in the September of 2017”.
