Ensuring AI Accountability: Lessons from Meta’s Oversight Board on Human Rights

June 6, 2025
12:30pm to 1:30pm

Lecture Theatre

Oxford Martin School, 34 Broad Street Oxford OX1 3BD

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Recent developments in social media demonstrate that innovation cannot reliably be left to govern itself. This lesson has given rise to numerous AI governance initiatives, ranging from voluntary guidelines to binding regulatory frameworks, that underscore the importance of maintaining a “human-in-the-loop”, to align algorithmic systems with societal values and mitigate potential harms. Although the idea of independent accountability mechanisms for AI has become a focal point within the field, only one model currently exists in which an external body is empowered to issue binding decisions for a technology company, and make recommendations.

In this 5th year anniversary, Julie Owono, an inaugural member of Meta’s Oversight Board, will offer a critical examination of the Board’s jurisprudence, elucidating how its decisions and recommendations contribute to the protection of human rights on Meta’s platforms. She will conclude by assessing the broader implications of entrusting accountability to an external, independent body tasked with overseeing large-scale technology platforms.

Date and Time: Thursday, June 12 · 12:30 – 1:30pm

Location: Lecture Theatre, Oxford Martin School

Julie Owono is the executive Director of non-profit Internet Sans Frontieres, and the founder of the Content Policy & Society Lab, a company first incubated at Stanford University, that helps Tech be better for society. Julie is one of the inaugural members of the Meta Oversight Board, which oversees content moderation decisions on Facebook and instagram. She is also a researcher affiliated with the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard university.

Inspired by her professional path, spanning from civil society to Academia, all the way through the private sector, Julie Owono has an acute understanding of what it takes to innovate in Tech, while safeguarding the foundational principles of democratic societies. At the intersection of Business and Human Rights, Julie is passionate about creating spaces for collaborations between Tech companies, civil society organizations, Academic institutions, Governments, and finding creative solutions to major governance and policy challenges posed by Technology.

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ai-accountability-lessons-from-metas-oversight-board-on-human-rights-tickets-1401475764739?aff=oddtdtcreator

YouTube livesteaming here: https://www.youtube.com/live/OqL2qTvDO50