Meta stops censoring content in the US, users determine information for themselves

(CLO) On Tuesday (January 7), social media giant Meta cut back on its content moderation policies, including ending its fact-checking program on Facebook and Instagram in the US.

“We will remove fact-checkers that have an egregious political bias and have destroyed more trust than they build, especially in the US,” Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a post.

Instead, Meta platforms including Facebook and Instagram "will use community notes similar to X (formerly Twitter), starting in the US," he added, meaning users will be able to find information themselves and determine what is fake news and misinformation.

Mark Zuckerberg's post about removing content moderation on Facebook. Screenshot

Meta's surprise announcement echoes longstanding complaints from Republicans, President-elect Donald Trump and X owner Elon Musk about censorship.

They argue that fact-checking programs disproportionately target right-wing voices, which has led to proposed laws in states like Florida and Texas that would limit content moderation.

“This is awesome,” Musk posted on his X platform following the announcement.

Meanwhile, CEO Zuckerberg, referring to Trump's victory, said "the recent election feels like a cultural turning point toward prioritizing speech over censorship."

The change comes as the 40-year-old tycoon has made efforts to reconcile with Mr Trump since his election in November, including donating $1 million to his inauguration fund.

Mr Trump has been harshly critical of Meta and Zuckerberg for years, accusing the company of favoritism and threatening to retaliate against the tech billionaire when he returns to office.

Speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, when asked if he believed the move was in response to his threats against Zuckerberg, Trump replied: "Probably."

Mr Trump was removed from Facebook following the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, although the company restored his account in early 2023.

Zuckerberg, like many other tech leaders, met with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida ahead of his inauguration on January 20.

Meta has made recent moves to please Mr. Trump’s team, including appointing former Republican official Joel Kaplan as the company’s head of public relations.

In a statement Tuesday, Kaplan stressed that the company's approach to content moderation has "gone too far." "Too much harmless content is being censored, too many people are mistakenly being locked up in 'Facebook jail,'" he said.

Zuckerberg also criticized the European Union for “increasingly institutionalizing censorship and making it difficult to build any initiative there,” referring to new legislation in Europe that requires Meta and other large platforms to maintain content moderation standards or risk hefty fines.

Zuckerberg said Meta would "work with President Trump to oppose foreign governments targeting American companies for more censorship." Additionally, Meta announced it would reverse its 2021 policy of reducing political content on its platforms.

Hoang Hai (according to Meta, CNA, AFP, X)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/meta-bat-ngo-dung-kiem-duyet-noi-dung-nguoi-dung-phai-tu-xac-dinh-thong-tin-post329467.html