Facebook Inc. is considering forming a commission to advise on decisions it makes around elections in the U.S. and abroad, according to an article published in The New York Times today.

According to people familiar with the matter, Facebook has already consulted a number of academics and policy experts about setting up the commission. If it goes ahead, the people involved will offer their advice on political ads and what might be deemed election misinformation. This will apply to elections all over the world.

Facebook has had its hands full in the past when it comes to elections, notably with content relating to the U.S. presidential election. There was also the matter of the 2016 U.S. presidential election and Russian interference, which wasn’t a good look for Facebook.

Since then, Facebook had admitted that it needs help at times in making decisions. In 2020, the company allowed its Oversight Board to review cases that involved Facebook taking down content. The board looks at cases related to a number of topics, including politics. The banning of Donald Trump from Facebook has so far been the cause célèbre.

While the Oversight Board might seem like enough help, the Times said the commission will add an extra layer to cover the social media company’s behind. Instead of reviewing cases on which Facebook has already taken action, it will advise Facebook before it makes such decisions.

The report states that if the commission is set up, part of its purview will be to ensure that elections are covered fairly. In the past, conservatives in the U.S. have accused Facebook of having a left-wing bias, while the left has denounced the company for allowing right-wing misinformation to propagate on the platform.

Facebook has denied all this in the past. Just last week, the company did something it has never done before in releasing a report showing what kinds of content feature most prominently in people’s Newsfeeds. Such transparency, it’s assumed, is Facebook’s way of trying to placate critics who say the company has too much influence on how people make political decisions in the U.S. and abroad.

“There is already this perception that Facebook, an American social media company, is going in and tilting elections of other countries through its platform,” Nathaniel Persily, a law professor at Stanford University, told the Times. “Whatever decisions Facebook makes have global implications.”

Facebook has not commented on the matter, which is said to be “confidential” right now. If the commission does go ahead, the people who talked with the Times said, it will be announced in the fall with the 2022 midterm elections in its sights.

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