Facebook grooming 7,500 content reviewers for objectionable posts
San Francisco, July 28 : After facing ire over reports that its moderators protect far-right activists and under-age accounts, Facebook says it is constantly grooming over 7,500 content reviewers how to handle posts related to hate speeches, terror and child sexual exploitation on its platform.
The content reviewers are a mix of full-time employees, contractors and companies Facebook partners with -- covering every time zone and over 50 languages across the world.
"Content review at this size has never been done before. After all, there has never been a platform where so many people communicate in so many different languages across so many different countries and cultures. We recognise the enormity of this challenge and the responsibility we have to get it right," Ellen Silver, Vice President of Operations at Facebook, wrote in a blog post on Friday.
"Language proficiency is key and it lets us review content around the clock. If something is reported in a language that we don't support 24/7, we can work with translation companies and other experts who can help us understand local context and language to assist in reviewing it," Silver added.
The company came under heavy criticism Channel 4 Dispatches -- a documentary series -- sent an undercover reporter to work as a content moderator in a Dublin-based Facebook contractor.
It showed that moderators at Facebook were preventing Pages from far-right activists from being deleted even after they violate the rules.
In a blog post, Monika Bickert, Vice President of Global Policy Management at Facebook, said the TV report on Channel 4 in the UK raised important questions about their policies and processes.
Facebook has also promised to double the number of people working on its safety and security teams this year to 20,000.
Silver said the company is training its team of content reviewers in three areas -- pre-training which includes what to expect on the job; hands-on learning that includes a minimum of 80 hours with a live instructor followed by hands-on practice and ongoing coaching.
"We want to keep personal perspectives and biases out of the equation entirely -- so, in theory, two people reviewing the same posts would always make the same decision. Of course, judgments can vary if policies aren't sufficiently prescriptive.
Facebook said it audits a sample of reviewer decisions each week to find out if a wrong call was made.
"Our auditors are even audited on a regular basis. In addition, we have leadership at each office to provide guidance, as well as weekly check-ins with policy experts to answer any questions," said the social media giant.
Facebook said it has a team of four clinical psychologists across three regions who are tasked with designing, delivering and evaluating resiliency programmes for everyone who works with graphic and objectionable content.
"This group also works with our vendor partners and their dedicated resiliency teams to help build industry standards," said Silver.
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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
