A new platform, the Appeals Center Europe, has been certified by Irish regulators to act as a referee on content moderation disputes across the European Union. This center will allow social media users to challenge decisions by platforms to remove posts or videos for breaking their rules or leave up content that may violate them. This move is part of the EU’s Digital Services Act, which requires tech companies to work with dispute settlement bodies and comply with their decisions. The goal is to give EU citizens a way to challenge decisions made by Big Tech companies while balancing the right to free speech with curbing online risks.
The Appeals Center Europe, based in Dublin, will start hearing cases from users before the end of the year. Initially, it will deal with disputes involving Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok users. Unlike Meta’s Oversight Board, which can selectively choose cases, the Appeals Center will have to rule on every case it receives. While decisions won’t be publicly available like the Oversight Board’s judgments, the center’s focus will be on whether content violates each platform’s rules. The center will hire staff from across the EU with expertise in specific regions, languages, and policy areas to handle potentially tens of thousands of cases each year.
The Real Facebook Oversight Board, a group critical of Meta, has cautiously welcomed the new Appeals Center. The group sees promise in moderation enforcement under the Digital Services Act and views the center as a step in the right direction for platform accountability and transparency. While the DSA has its flaws, it is considered superior to current approaches in the United States. Meta’s Oversight Board has provided startup funding for the Appeals Center, with both bodies aiming to uphold user rights and apply a human rights framework to online speech. The center will be funded by charging tech companies 95 euros for every case heard, along with a 5 euro fee from users who raise disputes to prevent system abuse.
Although decisions from the Appeals Center Europe will not be binding, users will still get their money back if the center rules in favor of their disputes, regardless of whether the platform takes action. The center aims to make decisions within a 90-day deadline, but most cases are expected to be resolved much more quickly. Overall, the new platform provides social media users in the EU with a formal process to challenge content moderation decisions made by Big Tech companies and aims to address systemic risks to social media users.
