Facebook Says Its Rules Apply to All. Company Documents Reveal a Secret Elite That’s Exempt. - WSJ

It has been a while since I dove into another chapter of Horrible Things that Facebook does, but this article from the Wall Street Journal on XCheck is a worthwhile read. My position on Facebook and all of its services is very clearly negative. I block all Facebook services on my devices.

The documents that describe XCheck are part of an extensive array of internal Facebook communications reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. They show that Facebook knows, in acute detail, that its platforms are riddled with flaws that cause harm, often in ways only the company fully understands.

Moreover, the documents show, Facebook often lacks the will or the ability to address them.

The article goes into detail on the XCheck system which gives "important" accounts the ability to post and bypass the companies automated and routine content moderation. This shouldn't be news, but if you thought that Facebook was a level platform where everyones voice was treated the same, it isn't.

Time and again, the documents show, in the U.S. and overseas, Facebook’s own researchers have identified the platform’s ill effects, in areas including teen mental health, political discourse and human trafficking. Time and again, despite congressional hearings, its own pledges and numerous media exposés, the company didn’t fix them.

I would be hard pressed to highlight any positive outcome of Facebook's various actions over recent years.

The article states there is "chronic underinvestment in moderation" which I think is a convenient out for Facebook. It suggests that they can buy themselves out of these issues. You cannot make a system that is designed, intentionally or by accident, to drive extremes safer by adding moderation. It is like saying that with a big enough filter, smoking cigarettes will be safe for you. No, it is unsafe at the core. You cannot compensate for that.

Other employees said the practice was at odds with Facebook’s values.

What even are Facebook's values? Your guess is as good as mine.

For another take check out Why Facebook is filled with hate, anger, and conflict by Josh Bernoff.