Overview
Meta’s Oversight Board, often called Meta’s “supreme court,” is getting ready to cut some jobs, as first reported by The Washington Post. Last week, the board told some employees that their jobs might be in danger, according to an unnamed source in the newspaper.
What is Meta’s Oversight Board?
Meta’s Oversight Board, is an independent body of experts responsible for making decisions about content moderation on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.
These job cuts are expected to affect the staff who support the 22 experts, like academics and lawyers, who decide what content should be allowed on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, the Post said. The Oversight Board was announced by Mark Zuckerberg in late 2018 and started working in October 2020. Initially, Meta gave the board $130 million, followed by another $120 million in 2022.
Why is the Oversight Board making job cuts?
The Oversight Board is making targeted cuts to optimize its operations and focus on the most impactful aspects of its work. This is to ensure that it continues to deliver results for the millions of people who use Meta’s platforms worldwide.
Stephen Neal, the chair of the Oversight Board Trust, confirmed that they are making “targeted cuts” in a statement to Business Insider. He mentioned that these cuts would help them focus on the most important parts of their work that have a big impact on the millions of people using Meta’s platforms worldwide.
While the Oversight Board operates independently from Meta, the job cuts might affect Meta’s ability to manage misinformation on its platforms, especially with concerns about misinformation during the 2024 US presidential election. Regulators are already worried that Meta isn’t doing enough to stop political advertising that could interfere with elections.
How is Meta responding to the rise of AI-generated content and deepfakes?
Meta has announced that it will expand its use of the “Made with AI” label, as recommended by the Oversight Board. This label will be applied to audio, video, or images that show signs of being AI-generated, or when users indicate that the content they upload is AI-generated.
To tackle new challenges like AI-generated content and deepfakes, Meta has announced that it will start labeling more content with its “Made with AI” tag, as recommended by the Oversight Board. This label will be added to audio, video, or images that show signs of being AI-generated, or when users say the content, they upload is AI-generated.
