San Francisco (AFP)

Facebook on Tuesday released its charter for its "Independent Monitoring Committee", which will have the power to overturn decisions made by its boss Mark Zuckerberg on the issue of content compliance.

The new entity will have to decide what content is acceptable on the world's leading social network, in accordance with the wish of Mark Zuckerberg, who had raised in April 2018 the possible creation of a kind of "Supreme Court" composed of independent personalities.

"If anyone disagrees with a decision we have made, he can first approach us, and soon he can also appeal to this independent committee," Mark Zuckerberg said in Tuesday's statement.

"The committee's decision will be binding, even if someone at Facebook, including myself, does not agree," he added.

Facebook is stepping up initiatives to restore the trust of the authorities and its users after a series of hate content scandals and misinformation campaigns.

The social network, used by more than 2 billion people around the world, seeks to prevent the publication and sharing of articles and images considered inappropriate according to its own charter, while taking care to respect freedom of expression .

In addition to the "Independent Monitoring Committee", Facebook will create an "independent foundation", which will manage the committee's funding and ensure that its members are not influenced by the California giant's leadership.

"The majority of people we consulted (...) believe that this should help protect the independence of the committee, while providing additional accountability mechanisms," says Brent Harris, head of governance at Facebook.

The charter sets rules for the new panel, which will include 40 members. Facebook had already indicated that the company was ready to begin the process of appointing members, after consultations in 88 countries.

The "Supreme Court" of the network will only deal with topics related to moderation of content, not artificial intelligence or hierarchy by algorithms.

"The committee will advocate for our community, support the rights of people to freedom of expression, and make sure we fulfill our obligations," says Mark Zuckerberg.

"We hope everyone will trust this independent organization to make their voices heard, and will know that Facebook does not have the ultimate power over their freedom of expression," he says.

© 2019 AFP