The company said on Thursday that its subsidiary Facebook will provide more clarification to users whose posts have been removed before "locking them up in Facebook jail".
The term "Facebook jail", which is common among social network users, refers to account suspension or banning due to posting controversial topics or violating platform rules.
Following comments from the Oversight Board, an independent group formed in 2019 to advise the company, Facebook has decided to clarify the reasons for removing posts for users several times before imposing harsher penalties such as the suspension of their ability to post.
Facebook aims to prevent users from repeatedly committing the same mistake with good intentions, especially since under the previous system, one mistake could result in account suspension without any explanation.
Monica Bickert, VP of Content Policy, wrote in a blog post for Meta, "Our analysis found that nearly 80% of users with a low number of violations do not violate our policies again in the following 60 days." She added, "This means that most people respond well to warnings and clarifications because they do not want to violate our policies."
Under the new policy, Facebook will issue up to seven warnings to users before imposing harsher penalties. Bickert explained that this system will relatively stop innocent posts from immediately leading to a 30-day publishing ban, which the Oversight Board said unfairly affected many users.
While the majority of the new policy will affect users who accidentally violate the rules, the announcement also covers how the company deals with the most serious violations. Posts containing content such as terrorism, child exploitation, human trafficking, suicide promotion, sexual exploitation, the sale of non-medical drugs, or the promotion of dangerous individuals and organizations will have severe consequences, including account suspension and banning.
The Oversight Board welcomed the changes in their response but still believes that Meta can do more to improve policies. The Board states that journalists and activists may be affected by these 'severe consequences' if they discuss sensitive topics.
The Oversight Board statement reads: "For this reason, the Oversight Board has called for greater transparency regarding severe warnings and will continue to do so." The Board also believes that users should be able to explain the context of their posts when appealing to Meta, and content reviewers should take this context into consideration whenever possible.