Evaluating the Facebook Oversight Board

Lately, the ‘Facebook Oversight Board’ and other private mechanisms of human rights accountability have been established. The Oversight Board of Facebook was created to review the lawfulness of certain ‘emblematic’ content moderation decisions taken by the social media platform. The Board comprises 20 representatives of civil society, including academics, human rights experts, and journalists. It is one of the first independent private bodies to oversee human rights issues on the internet. The research aims to assess the function and experience of this body in its first years.

Process

This is Prof. Dr. Clara Burbano-Herrera her Thesis Selection Process:

Step 1: the candidate submits a proposal via email to the supervisor Prof Dr Clara Burbano Herrera (Clara.BurbanoHerrera@UGent.be), stating a tentative title. The text meets the following requirements:
(1) Text length: exactly 2 pages;
(2) Font: Calibri;
(3) Font size: 11;
(4) Paragraph spacing: before 0 pt; after: 0 pt;
(5) Text spacing: single.

Step 2: the promoter or commissioner will contact the student for possible assignment of the theme and in that case will make an appointment for an intake interview. When selecting a student, the motivation of the student is taken into account.