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Facebook explains where all your user reports go

Facebook explains where all your user reports go

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Facebook posted a reporting guide last Tuesday that explains how the social network handles user problems.

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facebook infographic
facebook infographic

Side-stepping recent privacy problems, Facebook has decided to make its user reporting system as transparent as possible. The company posted an article and an infographic last Tuesday explaining exactly how it handles the reports, showing a complex sorting process with four teams dedicated to resolving everything from bullying to threats of violence. With staff in offices in the US, Ireland, and India, Facebook processes reports 24 hours a day, and usually reviews them within 72 hours of receiving a request.

Much like grade-school, users are first encouraged to try and work out their problems by themselves, but if a resolution can't be made Facebook directs the complaints to one of those four teams — a safety team, a hate and harassment team, an abusive content team, and the access team. The safety team takes on drug use, threats of violence, and various forms of self-harm. Like the hate and harassment team's name implies, they handle hate-speech and verbal bullying of all forms. The abusive content team handles spam and sexually explicit material, while the access team will help you out if your account gets hacked.

Facebook doesn't want its users to be unhappy using its service, that much is clear. The company even goes the extra mile by connecting users that are having serious problems with support organizations like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and MTV's "A Thin Line." On the other hand, Facebook also doesn't have a problem connecting users who are breaking the law with law enforcement. The takeaway? Be nice to your fellow Facebook users.