Mark Zuckerberg has posted a video stating that Meta is completely changing its approach to moderation – ditching third-party fact-checkers and moving to a “Community Notes” model – much like X’s.
The company – which owns WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram – argues that the new policy will encourage “more speech” but the move is already causing consternation, not least from Meta’s own oversight board.
There is also suggestions that Meta could find itself in trouble if it follows the same model as X, which saw an advertiser exodus as concerns grew about the nature of the content being published.
How Is Moderation Going To Change?
Meta has been using a third party fact-checking program since 2016.
In a statement accompanying its CEO’s video, Meta’s newly-appointed chief global affairs officer Joel Kaplan explains: “We made what we thought was the best and most reasonable choice at the time, which was to hand that responsibility over to independent fact checking organizations. The intention of the program was to have these independent experts give people more information about the things they see online, particularly viral hoaxes, so they were able to judge for themselves what they saw and read.”
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However, Meta says that this method isn’t working as “experts, like everyone else, have their own biases and perspectives.” Specifically it claims that “…too much harmless content gets censored” but also that too many users are getting “wrongly locked up in ‘Facebook jail.'” Kaplan admits that Meta has been slow to respond in the past when this happened.
Now, instead, Meta is moving to a Community Notes program. Kaplan says: “We’ve seen this approach work on X – where they empower their community to decide when posts are potentially misleading and need more context, and people across a diverse range of perspectives decide what sort of context is helpful for other users to see.”
Kaplan focusses on political discourse and explains that the company will be “getting rid of a number of restrictions on topics like immigration, gender identity and gender. It adds: “It’s not right that things can be said on TV or the floor of Congress, but not on our platforms.”
The statement includes links so that people can sign up today (Facebook, Instagram, Threads) to be “among first contributors to this program as it becomes available.” Phase in will kick off in the next couple of months in the US first.
Kaplan adds that Meta users will soon see the fact-checking controls disappear and the platform will “stop demoting fact checked content.” Instead of the “full screen interstitial warnings” that they had to click through to see the post, users will see “much less obtrusive label indicating that there is additional information for those who want to see it,” he explains.
Concern Rising
Kaplan focuses on the “mistakes” of the past but does not address what is an immediate and well-founded concern: By following the model adopted by X, is Meta now not in danger of becoming a place where the lack of moderation sees a rise in hate speech, misinformation and inflammatory language?
Elon Musk, the irascible owner of X, fired his moderation staff in January 2023, but the platform had already seen a marked change in policy from the days of former owner, Jack Dorsey. Dorsey had, for example, banned both Donald Trump and Kanye West – both of whom were welcomed back by Musk. The rise of hate speech on the platform from when Musk became its master was noted in studies and by advertisers, who made their displeasure known by leaving for rivals.
Fundamental Policy Shift
The changes coming for Meta users are not just a adjustment in who is moderating content, but also what content can be moderated. Wired alerts to changes in Meta’s Community Guidelines, which could dramatically alter what content users might be able to post and be exposed to.
Meta’s “Hateful Conduct” policy, which covers discussions on immigration and gender, has seen some of the most dramatic shifts. For example, “allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality and common non-serious usage of words like ‘weird’” will now be allowed. This essentially means that users can “accuse transgender or gay people of being mentally ill because of their gender expression and sexual orientation,” says Wired.
The wide-ranging changes also include removing the stops for posting content that targets people based on their “protected characteristics” – race, ethnicity, and gender identity – with “claims that they have or spread the coronavirus.”
The changes also leave room for content suggesting gender or sexual orientation – should play a role in job suitability – for example – women shouldn’t be allowed to serve in the military. There have also been changes to the policy towards conversations about social exclusion.
Wired pointedly also notes that a sentence stating that hateful speech may “promote offline violence” – that “had been present in the policy since 2019” – has been removed and instead the platform says it prohibits content that could “incite imminent violence or intimidation.”
Could the Oversight Board Disappear?
A big query is whether the oversight board that had a role in monitoring moderation standards – and ensuring Community Guidelines were being met – will now be disbanded.
Helle Thorning-Schmidt, who is co-chair of Meta’s independent oversight board, has already raised her concerns in a BBC interview. She specifically spoke of her worry that the move could leave minority groups especially in the LGBTQ+ community – exposed to abuse. She explained: “We are seeing many instances where hate speech can lead to real-life harm, so we will be watching that space very carefully,” she added.
While Thorning-Schmidt, the former prime minister of Denmark, did acknowledge that there have been instances of “over-enforcement,” she argued that there is still a strong role for fact-checking. However, the departure of Meta’s president of global affairs, Sir Nick Clegg, who set up the oversight board, could signal that its demise may be close.
Political Maneuvering
Clegg stepped down just after Zuckerberg was reported to have met with Donald Trump. He was replaced by Kaplan, who has been Meta’s company’s vice president of global public policy since 2011, but was also a White House aide to George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009.
Kaplan’s new role is being touted as a bid to calm the stormy waters between Meta and Donald Trump. Zuckerberg’s promise of a $1 million donation to the incoming president’s inauguration fund is a clear peace offering. Zuckerberg has also appointed UFC boss and firm pal of Trump’s, Dana White, to Meta’s board of directors.
The level of hostility in the past between the soon to be president and Meta’s chiefs was pretty dramatic. It led to Trump being banned from Facebook in January 2021. When he was allowed to return, in February 2023, Meta said it was keeping a close eye on his content. Last summer, Trump wrote that Zuckerberg would “spend the rest of his life in prison” if he attempted to interfere in the 2024 US election, reported BBC News.
Zuckerberg may not be a vocal as Musk, but he is pragmatic and wants a piece of the pie. He has now put his business interests above all else. But the move will spell dramatic changes for Meta users and this might be more dangerous than the ire of Donald Trump.
