Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg Announces Sweeping Changes to Moderation Rules
In a video statement on Tuesday, Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a series of comprehensive changes to the company’s moderation rules. The changes aim to reduce errors, simplify guidelines, and restore free speech on the platform.
Instead of relying on external fact-checking programs, Meta will now implement a community-driven solution, similar to Twitter, starting in the US. The company will allow users to add comments or corrections to posts that may contain false or misleading information.
Meta’s Chief Global Affairs Officer, Joel Kaplan, wrote in a blog post that the new approach has been successful on Twitter, where the community is given the opportunity to decide when posts may be misleading and require more context.
The changes also aim to increase freedom of speech, with the company planning to lift some restrictions on discussions and focus on illegal and severe violations, such as terrorism, child sexual exploitation, and drug-related crimes. The new policies will initially be rolled out in the US on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.
Zuckerberg acknowledged that the shift in direction was partly triggered by the recent US presidential election, which he described as a cultural turning point that prioritizes free speech again. He also criticized governments and old media for allegedly pushing for more censorship. The changes come as a response to criticism from US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly accused Meta of unfairly targeting conservative users and their posts.