(CLO) On Tuesday (January 7), social media giant Meta scaled back its content moderation policies, including ending its fact-checking program on Facebook and Instagram in the US.
"We will be removing fact-checking firms that are excessively politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they have built, particularly in the U.S.," 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, implying that users will do their own research and identify what is fake or misinformation.
Mark Zuckerberg's post about removing content censorship on Facebook. Screenshot.
Meta's surprise announcement reflects long-standing complaints from Republicans, President-elect Donald Trump, and Apple CEO Elon Musk about censorship.
They argue that fact-checking programs disproportionately target right-wing voices, which has led to proposed legislation in states like Florida and Texas to limit content censorship.
"That's fantastic," Musk posted on his X platform after the announcement.
Meanwhile, CEO Zuckerberg, referring to Trump's victory, said that "the recent election was like a cultural turning point toward prioritizing free speech over censorship."
This shift comes as the 40-year-old tycoon has been trying to reconcile with Trump since his election in November, including donating a million dollars to his inauguration fund.
Trump has been a harsh critic of Meta and Zuckerberg for years, accusing the company of favoritism towards him and threatening to retaliate against the tech billionaire upon his return 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 had his Facebook account deleted 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 appease the Trump team, including appointing former Republican official Joel Kaplan as the company's head of public relations.
In a statement on Tuesday, Kaplan stressed that the company's approach to content moderation had "gone too far." He said, "Too much harmless content is being censored, too many people find themselves wrongly locked in 'Facebook prison'."
Zuckerberg also criticized the European Union for "increasingly institutionalizing censorship and making it difficult to build any initiatives there." This comment refers to new European law requiring Meta and other major platforms to maintain content moderation standards or risk hefty fines.
Zuckerberg stated that 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
Comment (0)