Meta’s Oversight Board says account bans lack due process, transparency

Key points

• Meta’s Oversight Board, the independent governing body that makes policy recommendations to the tech company, said Thursday that Meta’s account deactivations lack due process, violations are doled out without clarity, and there’s little customer support for appeals.
• The board, which recently received increased funding to continue its work through 2028, launched the investigation into Meta’s account violations policy earlier this year to review a case involving threats of violence against a journalist.
• The board agreed that Meta was right to permanently disable the account due to the severity of the threats.
• However, in looking into the matter, the board found what it described as “systemic human rights concerns,” and a “lack of transparency and consistency” when it came to Meta’s two-system approach to disabling accounts.
• That’s a reference to the two different ways accounts can be actioned against: one that involves strikes, some that can be severe, and another for...