Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced yesterday that the company is abandoning efforts to curb its content. Meta is suspending its fact-checking program to move to an X-style community notes model on Facebook, Instagram and Threads. We're coming in detail about the changes Meta has promised, but is the company trying to woo the new President Trump?
Well, along with donating to Donald Trump's inaugural fund, replacing political director Nick Clegg with a former George W. Bush aide, and even adding Trump pal (and UFC CEO) Dana White to the board… yeah. Likely.
Meta blocked Trump from using his accounts on its platforms for years after he fanned the flames of the January 6, 2021 coup attempt. Zuckerberg said at the time: “His decision to use his platform to justify, rather than condemn, the actions of his supporters at the Capitol building rightly concerns people in the US and around the world.”
But who cares when you can get a nice favor from the new administration? Zuckerberg, who spoke about the change on Fox News, said Trump's election victory is part of the reason for Meta's policy change, calling it a “cultural inflection point” for free speech. He said the company would work with Trump to push back against other governments, including China.
He added: “There are a growing number of laws in Europe that institutionalize censorship and make it difficult to do anything innovative there.” This is not an innovation competing social networks do this, Mark. Also, Mark.
Along with Zuckerberg's video, Mehta had a blog post, “More Speeches and Fewer Mistakes,” which detailed upcoming changes and policy shifts—or more lies and fewer consequences.
— Mat Smith
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