The board highlighted in its first annual report that roughly half of the appeals came from the United States and Canada, but only 2.4% came from Central and South Asia, which is the area to which India belongs.
The Oversight Board of the social media company Meta has raised concerns about inadequate investments in moderating content in languages other than English by pointing out the small number of user appeals from India and other such non-English majority countries that the advisory group received. These concerns stem from the fact that the Oversight Board has pointed out the small number of user appeals from India.
The board highlighted in its first annual report that roughly half of the appeals came from the United States and Canada, but only 2.4% came from Central and South Asia, which is the area to which India belongs.
“We are aware that this distribution does not accurately represent the geographic distribution of Facebook and Instagram users throughout the world. India has the most Facebook and Instagram users of any nation, according to the report. In 2019, for example, just six of the top 20 countries with the most Facebook users were located in Europe or North America.
“The lower numbers of user appeals from outside Europe and the US & Canada could also indicate that many of those using Facebook and Instagram in the rest of the world are not aware they can appeal Meta’s content moderation decisions to the Board,” it pointed out, adding that it did not believe that the distribution of appeals data reflected the actual distribution of content moderation issues around the world. “The lower numbers of user appeals from outside Europe and the US & Canada could also indicate that many of those using Facebook and Instagram in the rest
“We have reason to assume that users in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East encounter greater problems with Meta’s platforms than users in other parts of the globe. This is in contrast to the general perception that users in other regions of the world suffer less issues.”
According to the statement made by the board, “Our rulings thus far, which involved posts from India and Ethiopia, have raised questions about whether Meta has committed sufficient resources in regulating content in languages other than English.”
The board also said in its annual report that Meta has committed to translating its Community Standards into numerous languages spoken in India. This means that after the translation is finished, more than 400 million people will be able to read Facebook’s standards in their local language.