Report Of The Facebook Data Transparency Advisory Group

Facebook released Version 1 of its Community Standards Enforcement Report (“CSER” or “the Report”) in May 2018, and it published Version 2 in November 2018. The CSER shares the metrics that Facebook uses to evaluate its effectiveness in enforcing its “Community Standards.” These Community Standards set rules prohibiting certain types of content from being posted on Facebook. Facebook chartered the Data Transparency Advisory Group (“DTAG”) in May 2018 to (a) assess Versions 1 and 2 of the CSER, (b) provide recommendations for how to improve its measurement and reporting practices, and (c) produce a public report on its findings.This report details DTAG’s process, findings, and recommendations. It is organized in the following order: Part I.A describes DTAG’s charter and process. Part I.B provides a brief background on the CSER, which is discussed in more detail throughout. Part I.C summarizes our main findings and recommendations in response to the three questions within the Group’s charter (listed in the following section). Parts II, III, and IV more thoroughly discuss each of the three questions, and explain the basis for our recommendations. Part V concludes with a discussion of steps we believe Facebook could take to improve its reporting on and transparency about Community Standards enforcement.