Facebook created its Oversight Board to handle its most difficult content moderation decisions. However, the company has indicated that “Facebook’s supreme court” could one day be used by other social media companies — if they’re willing to trust a group fully funded by Facebook, of course.

There are many potential hurdles to prevent this from actually happening. First, it’s unlikely that Facebook’s rivals would trust it to set rules for the content on their platforms. Second, despite its recent creation, the overall structure of the Board is already under fire from lawmakers, who don’t see it as an adequate substitute for government regulation.

“Facebook and other social media platforms with the same business model will find ways to highlight divisive content to drive advertising revenues,” New Jersey Rep. Frank Pallone recently wrote. “Every day, Facebook is amplifying and promoting disinformation and misinformation, and the structure and rules governing its oversight board generally seem to ignore this disturbing reality. It’s clear that real accountability will only come with legislative action.”

After all of the controversies it has faced, it’s pretty rich that Facebook wants to be seen as a leader in content moderation. It’s unlikely that other companies will believe in it — just like an increasing number of users don’t.

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