Facebook allows millions of secret ‘whitelisted’ elite to post banned content

Facebook allows millions of secret 'whitelisted' elite to post banned content

Facebook allows 5.8 million secret ‘whitelisted’ elite to post banned content not allowed by other users.

Facebook has a secret program in place that allows 5.8 million celebrities and other highly effective individuals to bypass the social community’s personal rules, according to a new bombshell report.

A former Facebook employee said in a memo that the company “routinely makes exceptions for powerful actors.”

The Silicon Valley’s program referred to as ‘XCheck’ or ‘cross-verify,’ created a so-called ‘whitelist’ of celebrities who are immune and shielded from enforcement, revealed the report from The Wall Street Journal.

But as The Journal reported, the software- XCheck- has led to a string of other problems.

When users are added to it, it’s more difficult for moderators to take action against them, like with Neymar, who posted his WhatsApp communication with a woman who accused him of rape to his Facebook and Instagram accounts. The screenshots showed her name and nude photos of her.

The record of protected celebrities and VIPs include Brazilian soccer star Neymar; former President Donald Trump; his son, Donald Trump Jr; Senator Elizabeth Warren; mannequin Sunnaya Nash; and even (of course)! Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg himself.

Facebook acknowledged XCheck and its downfalls years ago and told the Journal that it’s trying to terminate its whitelisting practice. Company documents also show Facebook’s intention to eradicate the system — a product manager proposed a plan to stop allowing Facebook employees to add new users to XCheck as a solution.

Some of the company documents will be handed over to the Securities and Exchange Commission and Congress, with that person requesting federal whistleblower protection, per the WSJ.

Zuckerberg has long touted one of his signature taglines: that Facebook’s leaders don’t want the platform to be the “arbiters of truth” or to decide what is true or false and then leave up or remove content accordingly.


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Ron Howells

Ron actually started his working career as an Ophthalmic Technician- things changed when, during a band rehearsal, his amplifier blew up and he couldn’t get it fixed so he took a course at Birmingham University and ended up doing a degree course. He built up a chain of electronics stores and sold them as a franchise over 35 years ago. After five years touring the world Ron decided to move to Spain with his wife and son, a place they had visited over the years, and only bought the villa they live in because it has a guitar-shaped swimming pool!. Playing the guitar since the age of 7, he can often be seen, (and heard!) at beach bars and clubs along the length of the coast. He has always been interested in the news and constantly thrives to present his articles in an interesting and engaging way.

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