Facebook has 5.8 million VIP users, applying its own 'XCheck' program outside of moderation monitoring

Facebook has an automatic moderation system that checks the content and removes it if there is a problem. However, it became clear that some users had 'VIPs' to which this check did not apply.

Facebook Says Its Rules Apply to All. Company Documents Reveal a Secret Elite That's Exempt. --WSJ

Leaked documents reveal the special rules Facebook uses for 5.8M VIPs | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/09/leaked-documents-reveal-the-special-rules-facebook-uses-for-5-8m-vips/

The program that excludes specific users from the moderation system is called 'XCheck' or 'Crosscheck', which is a white list method, and if it is registered in the list, it is a post that violates Facebook's rules. Will not be deleted automatically.

Facebook's moderation system is powerful, and even PR posts were sometimes deleted automatically. However, if there is a situation where celebrity posts are automatically deleted, there is a risk that followers will be disseminated that 'Facebook has deleted it without permission', and if the target is a politician, 'Platform' It seems that XCheck was introduced because it may be said that 'the regulation on the above will be tightened'.

With at least 5.8 million users on the list, Facebook acknowledges that the program existed for politicians as of 2019.

Although the posted content of the users registered in the list is not covered by the moderation system, not all the content was through, and a manual check was performed by a specialized 'XCheck team'. However, as the number of registered users on the list continued to increase, the confirmation by the XCheck team was less than 10% of the total target content.

For this reason, in 2019, Brazil national football team Neymar uploaded photos and videos on Facebook that appealed that he was on good terms with the target woman for the purpose of denying allegations of female assault, but revenge on the content. Even though it contained content that could be equivalent to pornography, it continued to be posted for more than a full day. Normally, revenge pornography is removed as soon as it is confirmed, but Neymar was on the white list and needs to be confirmed and deleted by the XCheck team, which seems to have delayed the response. The account that uploaded revenge pornography to Facebook will be deleted, but Neymar's account will remain as it is.

According to The Wall Street Journal, this document was provided by a whistleblower seeking protection, and the same has been submitted to Congress and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A Facebook representative told The Wall Streel Journal that the white list is being phased out.