The Facebook / Meta Oversight Board: International and Regional Law Applications

This event is hybrid. If you would like to attend this event in person, please click on the "Register now" button above. If you would like to attend this event online, please click on "Register to attend online".

This event is co-organized by Prof. Elaine Fahey and Dr. Jed Odermatt, and the International Law and Affairs Group (ILAG) and the Institute for the Study of European Laws (ISEL).

The Facebook / Meta Oversight Board (OB) is one of the most novel developments in law and governance in recent years. The OB has ignited major debate about its character, form, operation, and effects. It has been modelled as a “Facebook Supreme Court”, and its structure and style of its reasoning, as well as its use of precedent, give the appearance that the OB operates in a similar way to a court.

Moreover, the diversity and international profiles of its stakeholders appear to be reflected in its early decisions, which make use of international legal instruments and decisions, including international human rights law. This hybrid event explores the activity of the Oversight Board in its first year of operation and looks towards the future.

Can the OB be considered a human rights court? To what extent does the OB deal with international and European law in its decisions? Is the OB a model for content moderation for other internet and social media companies?

Speakers

Prof. Laurence R. Helfer, Duke University School of Law, University of Copenhagen – iCourts – Centre of Excellence for International Courts & Prof. Molly K. Land, University of Connecticut School of Law, The Facebook Oversight Board’s Human Rights Future

Dr Richard Danbury, Senior Lecturer in Journalism, School of Communication & Creativity, City, University of London, The Application of the Ruggie Principles to Information and Communication Technology Companies

Stefania Di Stefano, PhD Researcher in International Law, Geneva Graduate Institute, International Human Rights Law in Content Moderation: a New Avenue for Inclusiveness?

Prof. Elaine Fahey, Professor of Law, Jean Monnet Chair in Law & Transatlantic Relations, City Law School & Jed Odermatt, Senior Lecturer, City Law School, Europeanisation at the Facebook Oversight Board?