Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) and Congressman Adam Schiff (CA-28) issued the following statement after Meta's Oversight Board recommended sweeping reforms to the Cross-Check, or XCheck, program used on Facebook and Instagram: 

“Under Meta's Cross-Check program, millions of 'elite' users have been permitted to violate community standards with impunity, using their platforms to spread dangerous hate, conspiracies, and misinformation. In January, we delivered a letter to Meta calling for serious reforms to XCheck – and after months of pushing, Meta's Oversight Board is today advising both Facebook and Instagram to implement many of the protections we pushed for. We are glad to see the Oversight Board encourage increased transparency around XCheck and how it operates,” the lawmakers wrote. “Still, further action is needed to address the dangers of online incitement and radicalization. The 2022 election crystallized the pernicious threat online misinformation poses to civil society and democracy – it's incumbent upon Meta to act with the urgency this moment demands.”

In January 2022, Congresswoman Trahan and Congressman Schiff led their colleagues on a letter to Meta's Oversight Board voicing their concern with the XCheck system and recommending it be significantly changed. The members urged Meta to enforce community standards for all users, regardless of status or political office.

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