An Independent Audit Commissioned By Facebook Harshly Criticized It, Arguing Some Decisions Were “Significant Setbacks For Civil Rights”

A two-year audit of Facebook has found the social media platform has made “significant setbacks for civil rights.” The 89-page report claims that Facebook hasn’t done enough to stop hate content targeted at Jews and Muslims.  The report specifically called out the platform for not blocking white supremacist content by labeling the content “white nationalism” or “white separatism,” instead of white nationalist content.  The auditors, civil rights experts Laura W. Murphy and Megan Cacace along with the civil-rights law firm Relman Colfax, don’t think Facebook understands how the algorithms they implore cause polarizing content, writing, “The prioritization of free expression over all other values, such as equality and nondiscrimination, is deeply troubling.” Facebook answered by saying there isn’t a quick fix for these types of oversights and there shouldn’t be. Since the 2018 audit report, Facebook has committed to hiring a civil rights leader and has vowed to strengthen voter suppression policies. “We are making changes – not for financial reasons or advertiser pressure, but because it is the right thing to do,” said Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg.