Meta Ends Censorship Program in the US

Meta's Facebook, Instagram and Threads social media platforms will let users in the US add notes to posts, instead of using third-party tools to moderate posted content.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg at a hearing at the US Senate in January 2024 - Photo: AFP

Impacting 3 billion users

According to Reuters and the New York Times, on January 7, Meta announced that it would end its information censorship program in the US, which was introduced to limit the spread of misinformation on the company's social networking platforms.

This would ease restrictions on controversial topics like immigration or gender identity on Meta's social networks.

This is the biggest reform of the technology giant in managing political content on social networks, in the context of CEO Mark Zuckerberg wanting to mend relations with the upcoming administration of US President-elect Donald Trump.

Meta will roll out a “community notes” system, similar to the one used on Elon Musk’s X platform, that will allow users to flag potentially misleading posts that need more context, rather than leaving it up to a moderation program. The system will roll out over the next few months and continue to improve.

Meta will also stop proactively scanning for hate speech and other violations, and will only review such posts when reported by users.

The company will focus on automated systems to filter out serious violations like terrorism, child exploitation, fraud, and drugs. Meta will also move its content policy and moderation teams from California to Texas and other locations in the US.

The changes will impact Facebook, Instagram, and Threads — three major platforms owned by Meta with more than 3 billion users worldwide. Meta is currently only planning changes for the US market, with no immediate plans for a censorship program in the European Union.

Mr. Trump praises Mr. Zuckerberg

Mr. Trump also welcomed Meta's decision.

"Meta, they've come a long way. That guy (CEO Zuckerberg) is very impressive," he said at a press conference on January 7.

When asked if this was Meta CEO's move in response to Mr. Trump's threats such as imprisonment, the US president-elect replied: "Maybe."

CEO Mark Zuckerberg has acknowledged the impact the recent US elections have had on his thinking, saying the events "feel like a cultural turning point".

According to the New York Times , he attended dinner with Mr. Trump at Mar-a-Lago in November 2024, and then Meta donated $1 million to Mr. Trump's inauguration on January 20.

Last week, Mr. Zuckerberg appointed Joel Kaplan, a prominent Republican, as Meta’s president of global public affairs. Earlier this week, he announced that Dana White, CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and a Trump ally, would join Meta’s board.

However, misinformation researchers expressed concern over Meta's decision to stop its information moderation program.

Nicole Gill, founder and director of digital watchdog Accountable Tech, said that Meta CEO "is reopening the floodgates for the wave of hate, misinformation and conspiracy theories that fueled (the Capitol Hill riots - PV) on January 6, 2021, and continues to fuel real-world violence."

In 2021, Facebook suspended Mr. Trump’s account after the January 6 riots for inciting violence, then reinstated his account. Multiple studies have shown that interventions like Facebook’s information moderation are effective in reducing belief in misinformation and reducing the frequency of sharing of such content.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/meta-cham-dut-chuong-trinh-kiem-duyet-thong-tin-tai-my-20250108083545494.htm