A new structure, called “Call Center Europe” (Appeals Center Europe in English) will have seven members.
It is initially funded by the governance of Meta’s supervisory board, which the company created in 2020 to have an independent look at content moderation, after several scandals. However, it will be completely separate from Meta’s supervisory board, which is made up of 20 international members, journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders and former political leaders.
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Users will be able to contact the “Center” to appeal decisions taken by Facebook, TikTok and YouTube concerning content reported for “harassment” or “incitement to hatred” but also on account deletions, indicated Thomas Hughes, ex -director of the supervisory board of Meta, who will lead the organization.
The creation of this structure meets the requirements of the European Regulation on Digital Services (DSA), which has applied to all platforms since last February and provides that their users have access to an extrajudicial body to resolve disputes.
The DSA “offers the opportunity to shift the balance of power between users, platforms and governments by giving individuals the ability to question decisions made about what they post and what content they access online,” Mr. Hughes. “This is a game changer.”
A person who makes this choice will only have to pay 5 euros, refundable if the decision is in their favor
The stated ambition is to extend the area of expertise of this new entity “to other social networks over time”.
This sort of “court of appeal” has been certified by the Irish media regulator and will sit in Dublin.
The goal is not to “replace the traditional judicial system”, insisted Thomas Hughes, but to make “the capacity to challenge the decisions” of the tech giants “more accessible. Current legal processes “are more expensive, slower, more cumbersome and not necessarily adapted to the digital age”, he added, specifying that users will always have the possibility of launching real legal action if they wish it.
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A person who chooses to contact the “Call Center” will only have to pay 5 euros to present their grievances, refundable if the decision is in their favor, while the platforms will have to pay 100 euros for each new file, indicated Thomas Hughes, specifying that ultimately the new body should be entirely financed by these costs.
Facebook, TikTok and YouTube are frequently accused of censoring certain voices or, on the contrary, of promoting disinformation, particularly during elections, but also harassment and the activities of violent groups.
The European Commission, for example, was concerned last week about the highlighting of “harmful” content by YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat, and regularly criticizes these platforms for not doing enough to protect their users, particularly minors. .
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