Facebook is seeking users' help with censorship, safety & more

Facebook is seeking help from its nearly 2 billion users to help the platform combat major online issues.

The company has published a list of seven questions to promote open debate on subjects like terrorism, censorship, and fake news. Facebook has also set up a dedicated email address for users to submit their own feedback in the form of questions and concerns about the choices Facebook has made over the years.

In a blog post, Elliot Schrage, Vice President for Public Policy and Communications wrote, "So today, we’re starting a new effort to talk more openly about some complex subjects. We hope this will be a place not only to explain some of our choices but also explore hard questions."

Following are the questions:

1. How should platforms approach keeping terrorists from spreading propaganda online?
2. After a person dies, what should happen to their online identity?
3. How aggressively should social media companies monitor and remove controversial posts and images from their platforms? Who gets to decide what’s controversial, especially in a global community with a multitude of cultural norms?
4. Who gets to define what’s false news — and what’s simply controversial political speech?
5. Is social media good for democracy?
6. How can we use data for everyone’s benefit, without undermining people’s trust?
7. How should young internet users be introduced to new ways to express themselves in a safe environment?

He further added, "Even when you’re sceptical of our choices, we hope these posts give a better sense of how we approach them — and how seriously we take them. And we believe that by becoming more open and accountable, we should be able to make fewer mistakes and correct them faster."

This is definitely a smart move by the company. Considering the platform wide popularity, it only makes sense, that Facebook asks the end-users how they want their social media to look like in future. However, will it be enough just to crowdsource feedback and solutions?

Let's hope that Facebook enacts some innovative and useful ideas. If you have some ideas, simply drop a mail to hardquestions@fb.com.