Meta is ending fact-checking and removing free speech restrictions on Facebook and Instagram, a move that CEO Mark Zuckerberg said was an effort to “restore free expression on its platforms.”
“We will return to our roots and focus on reducing errors, simplifying our policies and restoring free expression on our platforms,” he said via video. “More specifically, we’re going to get rid of fact checkers and replace them with X-like community notes, starting with the US.”
The shift comes as Zuckerberg tries to build ties with the incoming Trump administration. The day before Thanksgiving, the billionaire CEO dined with the president-elect on a patio at Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago club. Meta has since donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund.
The company said Monday that UFC president Dana White, a staunch Trump supporter and ally, will be among its three new board members.
Other companies and technology leaders have reached out to the incoming administration.
Companies are getting closer to Trump
Amazon.com, Uber Technologies and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman have announced similar donations to the president-elect’s inauguration fund. Meta’s move echoes the approach taken by Elon Musk after he bought X (formerly Twitter) in 2022.
Musk, who has become the CEO closest to Trump and was a top campaign funder, has long pushed to promote free speech. Musk has criticized Zuckerberg’s platforms for removing content deemed to violate its community standards.
In December, he republished a post accusing Meta platforms of censoring conservative voices.
Speaking about Meta’s efforts to weed out harmful or dangerous content that violates its policies and puts users at risk, Zuckerberg said it had gone too far.
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