Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced sweeping changes to the company’s content moderation policies, including the elimination of its fact-checking program and the reintroduction of more political conversations on Facebook and Instagram.
The changes, unveiled in a video on Tuesday morning, are part of Zuckerberg’s stated mission to “restore free expression” across Meta’s platforms.
In his address, Zuckerberg expressed concerns over the growing trend of online censorship, which he attributed to pressure from governments and traditional media.
“We’ve reached a point where it’s just too many mistakes and too much censorship,” Zuckerberg said.
“The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point towards, once again, prioritizing speech. So we’re gonna get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies, and restoring free expression on our platforms.”
“We’re going to get rid of fact-checkers and replace them with community notes similar to X (formerly Twitter), starting in the US.”
He added that “fact checkers have just been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they’ve created, especially in the US.“
In a blog post, Meta stated, “It’s not right that things can be said on TV or the floor of Congress, but not on our platforms.”
Zuckerberg acknowledged that while the introduction of fact-checkers was initially well-intentioned, it ultimately backfired.
“Starting in the U.S. after Trump first got elected in 2016, the legacy media wrote non-stop about how misinformation was a threat to democracy,” Zuckerberg said.
“We tried, in good faith, to address those concerns without becoming the arbiters of truth, but the fact checkers have just been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they’ve created, especially in the U.S.”
In a move likely to spark debate, Zuckerberg revealed plans to work directly with former President Donald Trump to combat international censorship and restrictions on American social platforms.
“We’re going to work with President Trump to push back on governments around the world that are going after American companies and pushing to censor more,” Zuckerberg said.
“The only way that we can push back on this global trend is with the support of the U.S. government, and that’s why it’s been so difficult over the past four years, when even the U.S. government has pushed for censorship by going after us and other American companies.”
Zuckerberg highlighted the restrictions Meta faces in various countries, including outright bans in China, and said he is optimistic about leveraging U.S. government support to counter such trends.
