Facebook to scrutinize abusive content on the social network

Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said the independent body will scrutinize inappropriate content on the social network. [Photo: Courtesy]

Facebook announced Thursday it is creating an independent body to make potentially precedent-setting calls on what content should be yanked from the social network.

The announcement came as Facebook reported it has ramped up its ability to quickly detect "hate speech" and other posts violating community rules, with the leading social network under pressure from regulators in various countries and activists to root out abusive and inappropriate content.