Social media, while a joyful means of sharing and communicating, can be tricky when it comes to what content different platforms allow. Harmful posts and comments can often be left untouched, while other posts can be removed unjustly. To tackle the issue, in comes the Appeals Centre Europe. 

“The Appeals Centre gives users of social media the opportunity to challenge the decisions of social media platforms,” said Anna MacCarthy Adams, the Senior Director, Case Review for the Appeals Centre Europe. “If you’ve reported a social media post which you think should be removed – or if your content has been removed and you want it restored – you can submit a dispute to the Appeals Centre Europe via our website https://www.appealscentre.eu/. Our experts will independently review your case and send you a decision. We currently cover Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Our service is free and we guarantee human review of every case.”

The director explained that the ideas and policies on what is or is not allowed on social media are often hidden from the public, but the European Union’s Digital Services Act is allowing people to challenge decisions. Independent dispute settlement companies like Appeals Centre Europe aid people in being heard. 

In an explanation of the Appeals Centre’s process of handling a case, MacCarthy Adams said, “Once we receive your case, we’ll contact the social media platform to get the content in question. Our experts will then impartially review your case and – if necessary – escalate it to reviewers with specialist linguistic or subject-matter expertise. We will make our decision within 90 days of receiving your case, although in many cases we will make our decision faster than this. Our decisions are non-binding, but platforms are obliged – under the Digital Services Act – to engage constructively with this process, and platforms are already implementing our decisions.”

MacCarthy Adams continued by specifically addressing how the Appeals Centre Europe can be a resource to the LGBTQ+ community, commenting on how there can be a lot of bullying and hate speech towards queer folks that gets left up on social media platforms. 

“The community is celebrating the 10th anniversary of marriage equality in Ireland this year but also reflecting on a new regression in attitudes seen in recent years. Many commentators have identified the contribution of online hate and mis/disinformation to this backward trend. Having this new right under European law offers the community a real and tangible way to address this type of harmful content and seek to experience a more positive online environment where a diversity of voices feel safe contributing to the online world.” 

When faced with hate speech or harmful content, MacCarthy Adams calls for people to report it to the social media platform and also to the Appeals Centre Europe so that the issue can be addressed. 

The Appeals Centre Europe is a great resource to ensure social media’s place as a safe, inclusive environment that fosters community and connection. 

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