Facebook has appointed Roy Austin as its inaugural Vice President of Civil Rights and Deputy General Counsel, establishing a dedicated civil rights team within the organization, Facebook revealed today. Austin’s tenure will begin on January 19, and he will be stationed in Washington, DC.

Austin’s recent professional experience includes serving as a civil rights attorney at Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP. Previously, Austin contributed to the authorship of a report focusing on the intersection of big data and civil rights, and he collaborated with President Barack Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing.

“I am pleased to be joining Facebook during a period of significant national and worldwide awareness regarding civil rights,” Austin stated.

The specific objectives and duties of the civil rights team at Facebook remain undefined at this time, but we have contacted Facebook for further details. Meanwhile, Jennifer Newstead, Facebook’s Chief General Counsel, shared the following on the company blog:

In July, Laura W. Murphy, the former director of the ACLU, published the findings of a comprehensive, multi-year investigation and civil rights assessment of Facebook. The report acknowledges certain advancements, including modifications to Facebook’s policies regarding discriminatory advertisements for housing and employment, broadened measures against voter suppression, and increased engagement with civil rights leaders. However, the auditors also expressed several ongoing concerns, many of which related to the 2020 U.S. election and President Trump.

Following the events of last week, where a group supporting President Trump breached the U.S. Capitol building, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg suspended President Trump’s access to both Facebook and Instagram, at least until the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.