Meta✴ has announced that it is eliminating its third-party fact-checking program in the name of “restoring free speech,” a task that will now be done on the company’s social media platforms along the lines of “Community Notes” on Elon Musk’s Platform X.
Image source: Mark Zuckerberg
In the coming months, the Meta✴ social networks will also feature the “Community Notes” feature – users of the platforms will be able to independently add context to publications. When third-party experts did this, their actions were “too politically biased” and “did more to destroy trust than to build [it], especially in the United States,” said company CEO Mark Zuckerberg. “We’ve reached a point where there [are] too many mistakes and too much censorship. The recent election appears to be a cultural inflection point to once again prioritize free speech, so we will return to our roots and focus on reducing errors, simplifying our policies, and restoring free speech on our platforms,” said the Meta✴ CEO.
All these actions were taken in connection with the return of Donald Trump to the presidency of the United States. He has had a rocky relationship with major social media companies in recent years, with him and other Republican politicians talking about censorship of conservative views on the platforms. The conflict began after the riots in the United States on January 6, 2021 – Trump’s Facebook✴ and Instagram✴ accounts were blocked. Social media administrators said his actions could have provoked even greater violence.
Now Meta✴ is talking about its intention to change the policy regarding materials posted on the platforms: restrictions on the topics of immigration and gender relations will be lifted, and sanctions will be applied primarily for gross violations of the rules. Divisions involved in moderation and other types of work with materials will be transferred from liberal California to conservative Texas. “We will work with President Trump to fight back against governments around the world that target American companies and push for greater censorship,” Mark Zuckerberg promised.