Facebook's efforts to reduce the temperature on the issue come as the company faces repeated swipes from Republicans who claim that the social network suppresses right-leaning views. | AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File technology Conservatives, liberals slam Facebook bias audit

Facebook's audit of conservative claims of bias on the social network drew sharp criticism from both ends of the political spectrum on Tuesday, with a leading Republican calling it a whitewash and liberals saying it legitimizes unfounded allegations of anti-conservative censorship.

The eight-page interim report, authored by former Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), doesn't come to a definitive conclusion about whether bias exists on the platform, but appears designed to quell mounting accusations by GOP leaders, including President Donald Trump, that the social network suppresses right-leaning views. Republicans have not offered evidence of systematic bias, but are pushing the claims with greater force heading into the 2020 election cycle.


Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who has proposed subjecting internet companies like Facebook, Google and Twitter to a political neutrality test, called the effort "a smokescreen disguised as a solution."

"Facebook should conduct an actual audit by giving a trusted third party access to its algorithm, its key documents, and its content moderation protocols," Hawley said in a statement. "Then Facebook should release the results to the public.”

Brent Bozell, president of the conservative Media Research Center, said the report shows conservative complaints "fell on deaf ears" and said it "stunningly fails to admit fault or wrongdoing." Facebook's changes are "empty and insulting," he added.

In the report, Kyl outlines a raft of complaints lodged against Facebook by more than 130 conservatives. The concerns include how the company ranks posts in its News Feed and what it designates as spam or fake news. Some of the conservatives also took issue with how Facebook defines hate speech.

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But the report stops short of substantiating those criticisms and does nothing to suggest auditors found actual bias. A Facebook spokesperson did not respond when asked whether the review uncovered evidence of political influence in content decisions.

Facebook did say it would make one advertising policy change, allowing images of medical tubes connected to bodies. That's significant because it could make it easier for pro-life organizations to advertise on the platform.

Left-leaning groups blasted the Facebook report for lending legitimacy to the bias allegations, which they say lack merit. Henry Fernandez, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, called the accusations a "lurid fiction perpetuated within right-wing circles."

"Facebook made a grave mistake in allowing external political actors to direct an assessment of company policy and practices. It is no surprise they elevated narrow political interests over the safety of all users," said Fernandez, who's part of a coalition pushing Facebook and other internet firms to combat online hate speech.

Meanwhile, the social justice group Color of Change, which has criticized Facebook for failing to purge white nationalism and over-policing activists, labeled the bias claims a distraction by the conservative movement.

"This shameful report, coupled with the lack of meaningful, long-term civil rights infrastructure at the company, speaks volumes about Facebook’s willingness to maintain a broken business model at the expense of Black and marginalized communities," said the group's president, Rashad Robinson.

The audit outlines many of the efforts Facebook has already undertaken to make its content moderation decisions more transparent to users, including establishing an oversight board to help set content policies and a process for appeal after a post is removed.

"Our policies, and how we apply them, can have a huge impact, so we have a responsibility to apply them evenly, without favoring one side or another and without devaluing the principle of free expression," Nick Clegg, Facebook's vice president of global affairs and communications, wrote in a blog post.

He added that Kyl and his team at the law firm Covington & Burling will update the report in the coming months. Kyl, through a spokesperson, declined to comment.

Facebook has been in hot water with conservatives for years.

After reports in 2016 that the company's employees may have suppressed stories from right-leaning publications and authors in its "Trending Topics" feature, and subsequent pressure from Republicans including Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), Facebook fully automated the feature in August 2016 to eliminate potential human bias. It later shuttered the feature altogether.



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