As the world changes, and as online speech changes, Facebook, and specifically the Facebook Product & Content Policy team, is at the forefront of an open, worldwide dialogue around the policies that balance expression and safety. This team is responsible for maintaining visibility into how we make the rules that govern Facebook. This includes guidelines for what people can post, what they can advertise, and how they can use other products, like our fundraising tools or Marketplace.

The Product & Content Policy team works together with individuals all over the world and has one goal in mind: to give people voice in a safe environment.

This team is made up of specialists supporting specific products, and specialists supporting policy areas such Search, Misinformation and Watch. Other Policy teams specialize in certain types of behavior, such as our Child Safety team and Cybersecurity team. These team members come from a diversity of backgrounds - we have former attorneys who worked on Capitol Hill, a former rape counselor, child safety criminal prosecutors, the former director of West Point’s counter-terrorism research center, and someone who went undercover with a hate organization. Their unique backgrounds and experiences bring them together here at Facebook where they unite over a shared passion: to provide a safe place for expression. They work cross-functionally with Facebook teams such as law enforcement response, counter-terrorism, child safety, community operations, and communications. The teams are strategically positioned in different offices around the globe to have maximum local understanding and impact. In addition to working with a range of teams internally, the Policy team also interacts with outside experts and regulators to better understand their concerns and develop regulations that are both smart and safe for everyone.

Over 80% of people using Facebook are from outside of the U.S., which means we are dealing with crises all around the globe. There is a new challenge every day - whether there’s trade tension in Asia, protests in Europe, or elections in Africa, the Product & Content Policy team discusses priorities on a daily basis in order to keep our community safe.

Crafting policies that can be applied to such a diverse global community is always a challenge. People in every country have very different perspectives about what is acceptable to share online. That’s why it’s critical we have a global team that can understand how different issues affect people in local communities.

A top focus for the Product & Content Policy team is to not only increase visibility into what we do, but also improve the way we are incorporating outside feedback. We’ve published details of our Community Standards so that people across the globe can understand where we draw the line. This team already works with more than 100 organizations and experts around the world to receive ongoing input on our policies, and they continue to broaden that engagement to include even more groups, especially in areas where there are unique safety challenges. We work closely with the teams that keep our community safe and secure, including product teams that build technology and our Community Operations team, which is responsible for reviewing the millions of reports we get each week.

Facebook’s Product & Content Policy team is made of people from very diverse backgrounds. To get a better feel for the work, the team and the culture, hear from two team members who joined Facebook to make a bigger impact on online safety.

“I work with my team to give people all over the world more visibility into how we make those rules including how we craft our community standards, and we work with organizations and experts to receive ongoing input on our policies, especially in areas where there are unique safety challenges.” —Read more Monika B., Head of Global Policy Management, here.

“Although my move from the military to Facebook may be considered unconventional, I’ve impacted the global community in ways I never dreamed, all while working to ensure Facebook is a safe and inclusive place where everyone has a voice.” —Read more from Neil P., Public Policy Director, Content Policy here.