The Digital Freedom Committee contacted Facebook’s regional director in a message in order to clarify whether in the procedure of the social media company’s oversight board the requirements of transparency and political neutrality are being fully observed, the Justice Minister announced on her Facebook account on Tuesday.

In her post, Judit Varga indicated that work in the Digital Freedom Committee had not been suspended during the coronavirus epidemic.

The Minister described the setting up of Facebook’s oversight board as an important development; “according to press reports, it is the duty of this board to review and to remove contents published online”.

Regarding this, Ms. Varga pointed out that it is essential to clarify whether in the oversight board’s procedure the requirements of transparency and political neutrality are observed and what relationship the board has with national courts which otherwise have jurisdiction to settle legal disputes.

She added that with a view to seeking answers to these questions, they have contacted Facebook’s regional director in a message.

The Minister also reported that in the interim a set of online guidelines has been developed which discusses the characteristics of the data management practices of the digital platforms most widely used in Hungary. The primary purpose of the guidelines is to enhance user awareness.

She wrote that “nothing testifies to the effectiveness of the committee’s work more” than the fact that they have recently received dozens of complaints from members of the public regarding the non-transparent operation and censorship practices of online platforms.

The head of the Ministry of Justice recalled that the Digital Freedom Committee had been set up with a view to reviewing the operation of tech giants from the viewpoints of fundamental democratic rights, personal freedoms and the functioning of rule of law.

“Therefore, we would like to see such fundamental democratic values reflected in the operations of these tech giants as transparency and accountability,” the Justice Minister’s post reads.

(Ministry of Justice / MTI)