On Tuesday, January 7th, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced a major change in its content moderation policy by eliminating third-party fact-checking.
Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the significant adjustments to their content moderation policy, stating that it was to “return to basics, focus on reducing errors, simplifying policies, and restoring freedom of speech.”
The changes include the replacement of the third-party fact-checking program with a new initiative called “Community Notes” program, similar to Elon Musk’s X initiative.
The “Community Notes” program will rely on user-submitted comments to fact-check potentially misleading or lacking background information in posts.
Additionally, during a broader review of content moderation rules, Meta has removed some speech protection measures for LGBTQ individuals.
Zuckerberg declared that the company would be altering its policies on controversial issues such as immigration and gender.
In a video released on Tuesday, he expressed, “The intention of this movement was to promote inclusivity, but it has increasingly been used to suppress differing opinions and exclude those with alternative viewpoints, which has gone too far, so I want to make sure people can share their beliefs and experiences on our platform.”
According to the updated policy, users are allowed to make allegations that LGBTQ individuals suffer from mental illness in certain contexts.
Meta’s latest policy states, “In the areas of politics and religion involving transgender and homosexual topics, we allow accusations of mental illness or abnormality based on gender or sexual orientation.”
The updated policy also permits users to discuss “gender-based restrictions in military, law enforcement, and teaching roles,” as well as content related to sexual orientation from a religious perspective.
The CEO of Meta indicated that the company’s policy changes were influenced by recent elections. He said, “It’s like a cultural turning point, once again putting freedom of speech at the forefront.”
Zuckerberg’s relationship with President Trump has been increasingly harmonious, with a recent meeting at the Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, and a donation of one million dollars to his inauguration fund.
Trump praised Meta on Tuesday for “making significant progress.”
Since Trump’s election victory, there have been subtle shifts in the cultural atmosphere of the United States.
Reportedly, in December of last year, Disney removed storylines involving transgender issues from the upcoming animated series “Win or Lose,” explaining that some parents preferred to avoid this topic. A Disney spokesperson stated in an email to “The Hill,” that, “When it comes to animated content aimed at young audiences, we recognize that many parents prefer to discuss certain topics with their children on their own terms and timetable.”
On November 25th last year, the world’s largest private company, Walmart, announced the gradual closure of the “Center for Racial Equity” established in 2020 after the George Floyd incident, and banned partner vendors from selling LGBTQ-themed products on the Walmart website.
Walmart mentioned in a statement that they decided not to renew contracts with the Center for Racial Equity, gradually shutting down its branches and ceasing the dissemination of the annual benchmark index assessment led by LGBTQ+ advocacy group, the Human Rights Campaign. They also announced the discontinuation of third-party sellers from selling LGBTQ-themed products on Walmart.com, including items for transgender children such as binders and some books.
Walmart also plans to gradually phase out terms such as “diversity, equity, and inclusivity” in official documents.
(This article was referenced from “The Hill”)