To control content and arbitrate disputes with users, a new European body will be created. Small problem: it will be managed by the parent company of Facebook, which has already been sanctioned on numerous occasions.
Mark Zuckerberg trying on a pair of “AR Orion” glasses developed by Meta on September 25. Photo Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP/SIPA
Published on October 9, 2024 at 12:50 p.m.
On paper, this is good news: the European Union will now have a new independent body responsible for arbitrating disputes between social networks and their users, whether they relate to content reported for inciting hatred or to account suspensions. Installed within the framework of the Digital Services Act (DSA), which, since 2022, has required large platforms to better combat illegal content under penalty of a fine, this “recourse center” will be domiciled in Dublin and promises “a fast, economical and impartial service, provided by experts”.
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A small subtlety all the same: the structure, which is not intended to replace justice, will be financed by the Oversight Board, the supervisory board set up by Facebook in 2019 to appease regulators after years of scandals linked to the exploitation of data by the Californian giant. It is this “Supreme Court” which, for example, confirmed the banishment of Trump after the assault on the Capitol in 2021. Without calling into question the probity of its seven members, this “Appeals Center” must be managed – even from far – by Meta, while the company is the most sanctioned in Europe, which amounts to giving the referee’s whistle to a player under the threat of expulsion? Between 2021 and 2023, it was ordered to pay 2.5 billion euros in fines for non-compliance with the general data protection regulation.
