Israeli gov't assembling team to determine if Facebook is legally responsible for content - report

The Communications Ministry is assembling a team that will examine whether Facebook is legally responsible for content uploaded to the social media platform.

People are silhouetted as they pose with mobile devices in front of a screen projected with a Facebook logo, in this picture illustration taken in Zenica October 29, 2014.  (photo credit: REUTERS/DADO RUVIC)
People are silhouetted as they pose with mobile devices in front of a screen projected with a Facebook logo, in this picture illustration taken in Zenica October 29, 2014.
(photo credit: REUTERS/DADO RUVIC)

Israel's Communications Ministry is assembling a team that will examine whether Facebook is legally responsible for its content, according to an N12 report on Saturday evening.

The team's mandate will include checking whether Facebook can be forced to act transparently with regards to its censorship and user-blocking policies, according to the report.

Facebook symbol  (credit: REUTERS)
Facebook symbol (credit: REUTERS)

But the more serious issue is Facebook's legal responsibilities, and whether or not the platform is responsible for the posts that are uploaded to it.

The large mandate given to the team is a signal to Facebook and other big tech companies that Israel is serious about its intentions to restrict them if they do not negotiate, according to N12.

The report came less than a week after Facebook was shut down for six hours due to technical failures, and after a former employee, Frances Haugen described the company's problematic algorithms.