Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Facebook denies weak performance on hateful content

Facebook denies weak performance on hateful content

Facebook has denied allegations that its algorithms only remove a small number of posts containing hate speech.

The company uses automated systems, alongside other methods, to identify and take down such posts.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that leaked documents suggest only a small percentage of offending content is actually removed by the technology.

Facebook, however, insisted it has seen recent success in reducing hate speech on its platform.

The leaked internal Facebook documents seen by the WSJ include information on a team of employees that allegedly found the technology was successful in removing only 1% of posts that break the social media company's own rules.

In March 2021, an internal assessment allegedly discovered that Facebook's automated takedown efforts were eliminating posts generating only an estimated 3 to 5% of total views of hate speech.

Facebook is also alleged to have cut the amount of time that human reviewers spend on checking hate speech complaints made by users.

This change, reported to have occurred two years ago, "made the company more dependent on AI enforcement of its rules and inflated the apparent success of the technology in its public statistics", the WSJ alleged.

Facebook firmly denied that it is failing on hate speech.

Guy Rosen, Facebook's vice-president of integrity, wrote in a blog post that a different metric should be used to evaluate Facebook's progress in this area.

Mr Rosen pointed out that the prevalence of hate speech on Facebook - the amount of such material viewed on the site - has fallen as a percentage of all content viewed by users.

Hate speech currently accounts for 0.05%, or five views per every 10,000, and has fallen by 50% in the last nine months, he said.

"Prevalence is how we measure our work internally, and that's why we share the same metric externally," he added.

Mr Rosen also noted that more than 97% of removed content is proactively detected by Facebook's algorithms - before it is reported by users who have seen it.

The latest story about hate speech is just one in a series of similar articles about Facebook published by the WSJ in recent weeks.

Frances Haugen identified herself as the source of several leaks

The stories are largely based on leaked internal documents provided to the newspaper by former Facebook employee Frances Haugen. They refer to a series of content moderation difficulties, from anti-vaccine misinformation to graphic videos, as well as the experiences of younger users on Instagram, which is owned by Facebook.

On Monday, Facebook's vice-president of global affairs, Nick Clegg - the former UK deputy prime minister, added his voice to Facebook's pushback.

In a blog, he argued that "these stories have contained deliberate mischaracterisations of what we are trying to do, and conferred egregiously false motives to Facebook's leadership and employees".

A WSJ spokesman told the BBC: "None of Facebook's defences have cited a single factual error in our reporting.

"Instead of attempting to aggressively spin, the company should address the troubling issues directly, and publicly release all the internal research we based our reporting from, that they claim we misrepresented."

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
EU Majority Demands Hungary Reverse Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws
Top Hotel Picks for 2025 Stays in Budapest Revealed
Iron Maiden Unveils 2025 Tour Setlist in Budapest
Chinese Film Week Opens in Budapest to Promote Cultural Exchange
Budapest Airport Launches Direct Flights to Shymkent
Von der Leyen Denies Urging EU Officials to Skip Budapest Pride
Alcaraz and Sinner Advance with Convincing Wins at Roland Garros
EU Ministers Lack Consensus on Sanctioning Hungary Over Rule of Law
EU Nations Urge Action Against Hungary's Pride Parade Ban
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
U.S. Considers Withdrawing Troops from Europe
Russia Deploys Motorbike Squads in Ukraine Conflict
Critics Accuse European Court of Human Rights of Overreach
Spain Proposes 100% Tax on Non-EU Holiday Home Purchases
German Intelligence Labels AfD as Far-Right Extremist
Geert Wilders Threatens Dutch Coalition Over Migration Policy
Hungary Faces Multiple Challenges Amid EU Tensions and Political Shifts
Denmark Increases Retirement Age to 70, Setting a European Precedent
Any trade deal with US must be based on respect not threats', says EU commissioner
UK Leads in Remote Work Adoption, Averaging 1.8 Days a Week
Thirteen Killed in Russian Attacks Across Ukraine
High-Profile Incidents and Political Developments Dominate Global News
Netanyahu Accuses Western Leaders of 'Emboldening Hamas'
Ukraine and Russia Conduct Largest Prisoner Exchange of the War
×