4 ms·

I wish they would explain what xcheck is and how it works before the talk about the problems with it. This reads like a blog post to other Integrity FB engineer

by itake 4y ago

I wish they would explain what xcheck is and how it works before the talk about the problems with it. This reads like a blog post to other Integrity FB engineers that already know that system.

nindalf 4y ago
It’s explained later on but I could be clearer. XCheck is a system that supports tagging specific accounts with tags that exempt that account from certain integrity enforcement. In the post I give an example of a tag that used to exempt accounts from the fake account checkpoint. Applying these tags is usually a manual process and usually carefully vetted.
- webmobdev 4y ago
  You yourself claim that you are only aware of Xcheck "features" since 2021, As of June 2021 no XCheck tag I knew of allowed a user to take down content at will. Are you also claiming that there have been no changes, and no new features, added to XCheck since June 2021? Are you aware of the new social media regulations recently passed by the current Modi government of India? (To be credible, you need to honestly answer these questions and address it in your article too, as otherwise you are basing your assumptions on incomplete information, thereby misleading yourself and others.) To clarify, one of the requirement of this regulation is: Under the new Intermediaries Rules, intermediaries must *complete* the takedown process under Section 79(3) of the IT Act, within 36 hours. Source: https://internetfreedom.in/intermediaries-rules-2021/ https://internetfreedom.in/intermediaries-rules-2021/ (a more brief summary of the regulation is here - https://techwireasia.com/2021/06/indias-new-social-media-rules-explained/ https://techwireasia.com/2021/06/indias-new-social-media-rul...) Very simply put, large social media platforms are legally required to respond and delete content when requested by government representatives. Under such a scenario, can you confidently say that XCheck hasn't been extended with new features, like a tag that allows a user to immediately flag posts that must be compulsorily taken down when the particular user reports it? It seems a very obvious extension when you consider the political demands that are placed on Meta from around the world, and in India in particular.
- webmobdev 4y ago
  Yeah, it would be easier to understand your article if you start it with an introduction to what XCheck is what problem it is trying to solve.
- DisjointedHunt 4y ago
  - nindalf 4y ago
    > Can you explicitly state I can’t explicitly state that because I can’t look at the code right now. What I can say is that I would be very surprised if it was. XCheck isn’t meant to be called explicitly by integrity detection. Detection should make its own decision and take the action on the account or content. During action enforcement XCheck is implicitly called. But anyhow, if you’re looking for an employee to explicitly state that XCheck isn’t used this way, here’s one (https://twitter.com/guyro/status/1579835594980864001 https://twitter.com/guyro/status/1579835594980864001) > The stories are simply incorrect about the cross-check program, which was built to prevent potential over-enforcement mistakes. It has nothing to do with the ability to report posts, as alleged in the article.
  - mox1 4y ago
    Your asking him to prove a negative, of course he cannot do that…
    - swores 4y ago
      No, they're asking for a negative to be claimed not a negative to be proven. "Can you explicitly *state* that..." "State" meaning to say or write a claim, no proof involved.
      - wil421 4y ago
        One could argue they are baiting OP to make a concise statement about Facebook policies. I wouldn’t touch that with 10 foot pole.
        DisjointedHunt 4y ago
        Strange, a concise statement about Facebook policies with a LOT of internal information is precisely what this blog is. Perhaps you should read the blog first?

by itake 4y ago

I wish they would explain what xcheck is and how it works before the talk about the problems with it. This reads like a blog post to other Integrity FB engineers that already know that system.

nindalf 4y ago

It’s explained later on but I could be clearer. XCheck is a system that supports tagging specific accounts with tags that exempt that account from certain integrity enforcement. In the post I give an example of a tag that used to exempt accounts from the fake account checkpoint. Applying these tags is usually a manual process and usually carefully vetted.

webmobdev 4y ago
You yourself claim that you are only aware of Xcheck "features" since 2021, As of June 2021 no XCheck tag I knew of allowed a user to take down content at will. Are you also claiming that there have been no changes, and no new features, added to XCheck since June 2021? Are you aware of the new social media regulations recently passed by the current Modi government of India? (To be credible, you need to honestly answer these questions and address it in your article too, as otherwise you are basing your assumptions on incomplete information, thereby misleading yourself and others.) To clarify, one of the requirement of this regulation is: Under the new Intermediaries Rules, intermediaries must *complete* the takedown process under Section 79(3) of the IT Act, within 36 hours. Source: https://internetfreedom.in/intermediaries-rules-2021/ https://internetfreedom.in/intermediaries-rules-2021/ (a more brief summary of the regulation is here - https://techwireasia.com/2021/06/indias-new-social-media-rules-explained/ https://techwireasia.com/2021/06/indias-new-social-media-rul...) Very simply put, large social media platforms are legally required to respond and delete content when requested by government representatives. Under such a scenario, can you confidently say that XCheck hasn't been extended with new features, like a tag that allows a user to immediately flag posts that must be compulsorily taken down when the particular user reports it? It seems a very obvious extension when you consider the political demands that are placed on Meta from around the world, and in India in particular.
webmobdev 4y ago
Yeah, it would be easier to understand your article if you start it with an introduction to what XCheck is what problem it is trying to solve.
DisjointedHunt 4y ago
- nindalf 4y ago
  > Can you explicitly state I can’t explicitly state that because I can’t look at the code right now. What I can say is that I would be very surprised if it was. XCheck isn’t meant to be called explicitly by integrity detection. Detection should make its own decision and take the action on the account or content. During action enforcement XCheck is implicitly called. But anyhow, if you’re looking for an employee to explicitly state that XCheck isn’t used this way, here’s one (https://twitter.com/guyro/status/1579835594980864001 https://twitter.com/guyro/status/1579835594980864001) > The stories are simply incorrect about the cross-check program, which was built to prevent potential over-enforcement mistakes. It has nothing to do with the ability to report posts, as alleged in the article.
- mox1 4y ago
  Your asking him to prove a negative, of course he cannot do that…
  - swores 4y ago
    No, they're asking for a negative to be claimed not a negative to be proven. "Can you explicitly *state* that..." "State" meaning to say or write a claim, no proof involved.
    - wil421 4y ago
      One could argue they are baiting OP to make a concise statement about Facebook policies. I wouldn’t touch that with 10 foot pole.
      - DisjointedHunt 4y ago
        Strange, a concise statement about Facebook policies with a LOT of internal information is precisely what this blog is. Perhaps you should read the blog first?