By requesting an opinion, Facebook is not committing to honour the judgment issued by the board, prompting some to question whether the site was simply seeking cover for making a decision likely to be broadly unpopular with a large section of society whatever it chooses.
The oversight board is funded by Facebook, and its first four members, all of whom hold the title co-chair, were selected by the social network. The co-chairs and Facebook picked the initial board of 20, which includes former Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger, and over time intend to expand it to a board of 40, at which point Facebook says it will cease to be involved in selecting membership. After more than two years, however, the board is still only 23 people.
