On Tuesday, Meta acknowledged that its error rates in enforcing content moderation policies are often “too high” and committed to enhancing the rollout of these policies.
In a blog post, Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, expressed awareness that high error rates in policy enforcement hinder the free expression the company aims to promote. He noted, “Too often harmless content gets taken down or restricted, and too many people get penalized unfairly.”
Increasing scrutiny has fallen on Meta and other major social media platforms in recent years as they strive to enhance user safety amid the prevalence of hateful or misleading information, while also protecting free speech.
Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, acknowledges that harmless content is often wrongfully taken down
Clegg highlighted that Meta has been working to apply content policies “fairly” over the past year, admitting that achieving the right balance is unlikely to happen “100 percent of the time.” He reassured users that the company will continue its efforts to improve in the months ahead.
He also pointed to Meta’s initiatives in content moderation, such as the introduction of political content controls on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. These features allow users to opt in for additional political content recommendations, with the rollout currently taking place globally after being launched in the U.S.
During a separate call with reporters on Monday, Clegg expressed regret about the significant volume of COVID-19 related content that Meta removed during the pandemic, as reported by The Verge.
Clegg reflected, “We had very stringent rules removing very large volumes of content through the pandemic. No one during the pandemic knew how it was going to unfold, so this really is wisdom in hindsight. But with that hindsight, we feel that we overdid it a bit.”
He further acknowledged that users have rightfully raised concerns about Meta’s tendency to over-enforce rules, resulting in the removal or restriction of innocuous content, as noted by The Verge.
These statements follow comments made by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in August, when he informed the House Judiciary Committee of his regret over not speaking out more against “government pressure” to remove COVID-19 related content.
In a letter to the committee, Zuckerberg claimed that officials from the Biden administration “repeatedly pressured” Meta to “censor” content in 2021 and promised to resist similar pressures in the future. This acknowledgment was viewed as a victory for House Republicans, many of whom have accused major tech companies of suppressing conservative viewpoints.
Last week, Zuckerberg dined with President-elect Trump at Mar-a-Lago, an event perceived as an attempt to repair relations with the incoming president as he prepares to return to the White House.
Clegg remarked to The Verge that Zuckerberg is “very keen to play an active role in the debates that any administration needs to have about maintaining America’s leadership in the technological sphere.”
