A new independent organization, backed by Meta Platforms’ Oversight Board, has received certification from Ireland’s media regulator to address appeals concerning policy violation decisions made by social media companies in the European Union. Named the Appeals Centre Europe, this body was established as a certified out-of-court dispute resolution entity under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
Initially, the Appeals Centre will handle cases related to major platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube, with plans to include additional social media platforms in the future. The Dublin-based organization will employ a team of experts who will conduct human reviews of each case within 90 days to assess whether the platforms’ decisions align with their content policies.
Funded through fees charged to social media companies for each case, the Appeals Centre has received a one-time grant from the Oversight Board. Users submitting disputes will be required to pay a nominal fee, which will be refunded if the decision is ruled in their favor.
Despite its certification, the DSA allows online platform providers to decline participation in this dispute resolution mechanism, and the Appeals Centre will not have the authority to enforce binding resolutions on the parties involved.
Thomas Hughes, the former director of the Oversight Board, will assume the role of the inaugural CEO of the Appeals Centre. “We want users to have the choice to raise a dispute to a body that is independent from governments and companies, focused on ensuring platforms’ content policies are fairly and impartially applied,” Hughes stated.
The Appeals Centre is set to begin accepting disputes from users before the end of the year, with a board consisting of seven non-executive directors overseeing its operations.
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