Facebook Oversight Board changes timeline rules for action on case appeals

FILE PHOTO: A 3D plastic representation of the Facebook logo is seen in this illustration in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, May 13, 2015. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo

(Reuters) - Facebook Inc's independent Oversight Board is changing rules related to the time taken to reach a decision on any appeal to take down content, it said on Tuesday.

Under the new rules, the timeline of stipulated 90 days for Facebook's action will start when the board takes up a case for review. So far, the timeline began whenever Facebook took a call on the content.

"This update will help ensure that all cases have the same amount of time for deliberation, no matter when the case was referred to the Board by Facebook or a user," it said in a statement.

The Board, which the world's largest social network created in response to criticism of its handling of problematic content, can overrule company decisions on whether to take down posts and recommend policy changes.

(Reporting by Munsif Vengattil in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Arun Koyyur)