Meta updates policies to support “free expression” on Instagram and Threads
Meta says that it will push more political content to users on Threads and Instagram after announcing changes designed to support “free expression”.
Earlier last week, Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg unveiled plans to ditch fact-checkers in favour of a new community notes system after claiming that its moderation was previously too heavy-handed.
Meta then confirmed that political discourse would return.
The social media giant has tried to steer clear of political discussion and breaking news in recent years due to the highly charged nature of the stories, which can alienate specific groups.
However, Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election has prompted a U-turn.
Social media expert Drew Benvie, who works for a UK-based consultancy firm, said that Meta’s course correction is due to “changing political winds”.
Zuckerberg also admitted that Trump’s criticism of Meta’s fact-checking played a role in its decision to overhaul its moderation policies.
The tech company now believes that it censored too much harmless content in the past.
Moving forward, Meta will adopt a more hands-off approach.
However, this directly conflicts with the UK and EU’s recent push to make social media companies more accountable for hosting extreme content and not doing enough to protect younger teenagers from harm.
Cornell University professor Brooke Erin Duffy also worries about the impact on vulnerable groups.
She said: “Marginalised creators, including women, people of colour, and the LGBTQ+ community are likely to face increased harms with fewer mechanisms of recourse.”
The new political content push is US-only for now, and the company has no immediate plans to end its fact-checking in other regions.