Meta Doesn't Want the Oversight Board's Opinion on Russia and Ukraine Right Now

pcmag.com:

Meta says it has withdrawn a Policy Advisory Opinion (PAO) request from the Oversight Board regarding its handling of the Russia and Ukraine conflict due to "safety and security concerns."

The company doesn't explain what it means by "ongoing safety and security concerns," however, or what changed between the initial PAO request and the subsequent withdrawal. But the Oversight Board says Meta did cite specific concerns when it withdrew its PAO request.

Here's what the Oversight Board has to say about Meta's decision:

"While the Board understands these concerns, we believe the request raises important issues and are disappointed by the company’s decision to withdraw it. The Board also notes the withdrawal of this request does not diminish Meta’s responsibility to carefully consider the ongoing content moderation issues which have arisen from this war, which the Board continues to follow. Indeed, the importance for the company to defend freedom of expression and human rights has only increased.

Meta says that it "[looks] forward to seeking the board's expertise on other significant and difficult content moderation questions going forward." But it's hard to imagine a scenario as difficult as the one involving Russia's invasion of Ukraine that wouldn't carry its own safety issues.

"While the PAO has been withdrawn," Meta says in the blog post about withdrawing the request, "we stand by our efforts related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and believe we are taking the right steps to protect speech and balance the ongoing security concerns on the ground."

Those efforts include the introduction of new safety features specifically for users in Russia and Ukraine, "extensive steps to fight the spread of misinformation," and the