Facebook shields VIPs from some of its rules

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook exempts certain celebrities, politicians and other high-profile users from some its own rules for posts as part of a programme launched as a quality-control mechanism, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.

The programme, referred to as “cross check” or “XCheck,” shields millions of elite users from rules that Facebook claims to apply equally at the social network, according to a report citing internal documents.

Facebook spokesman Andy Stone in a series of tweets defended the programme, but noted the social media giant is aware its enforcement of rules is “not perfect”.

“There aren’t two systems of justice; it’s an attempted safeguard against mistakes,” Stone tweeted in response to the Journal…