Why is Meta implementing Elon Musk’s moderation style on its platforms?
Meta has decided to get rid of moderators and fact-checkers on its social media platforms. In a video message, Mark Zuckerberg explained the company would be shifting towards community notes and «free speech» in future. The EU has warned against the move.
On 7 January, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg publicly addressed users of the company’s platforms in a video message. He announced that Meta would be changing its approach to content moderation on its platforms, most notably Facebook, Threads and Instagram. Until now, moderators have been checking text, images and media posted on Meta platforms for technical accuracy and removing them if necessary.
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The fact-checking system, which was reliant on audits by several independent organisations from various countries, was launched in 2016. Mark Zuckerberg, who initially launched the programme, said he wanted to prevent fake news from having an influence on elections and public opinion. Although not specifically mentioned, Donald Trump’s election may well have been one of the reasons behind the fact-checking programme’s introduction.
Algorithms set to become less strict, content checks less frequent
At least in the USA, the Meta network’s set to rely on community notes in future – as is the case on X under Elon Musk’s leadership. Here’s what Germany’s Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency had to say about that approach (linked content in German). Meta says its new content guidelines will be «simplified», and that it’ll scrap many restrictions that have «destroyed trust». These restrictions, it says, were «out of touch with mainstream discourse». Meta says it’ll increasingly focus on the principle of «free expression» in the future. Rather than using automatic filters to check for minor policy violations, Meta will now rely on user complaints. That means its algorithms won’t be as strict.
The company’s also moving its moderation team from California to Texas due to concerns that the current team is «too biased». Meta’s also keen to push back on governments around the world that are «going after American companies and pushing to censor more».
Moderation to stay in place in Europe for the time being
As confirmed by Meta in response to an inquiry by the magazine Politico, these changes will initially only affect the US. In part, this is probably down to the Digital Services Act (DSA) in Europe. Among other things, the Act stipulates a series of rules determining how online platforms should deal with fake news and disinformation. Violating these rules can result in heavy fines. As a result, teams of Meta moderators based in Europe (in Germany, these include members of press agencies AFP and DPA as well as the research portal Correctiv) will go on working for now.
Change of direction likely politically motivated
Many fear there’ll be an increase in misleading, racist or antisemitic content, similar to what’s happened on X since it was taken over by Elon Musk. In response, a number of European exponents have called for «strict monitoring of compliance with the applicable rules», as Matthias Miersch, Secretary General of the German political party SPD put it. German digital expert Markus Beckedahl has even described the new guidelines as «bowing down to Donald Trump» (article in German).
Source: Wikimedia
To be fair, it’s hard not to speculate that Meta’s change of tack on moderation policy is linked to Donald Trump’s re-election. Trump’s criticised Facebook multiple times in the past, accusing the platform of supporting Democratic policies and being «biased against conservative views». Facebook also temporarily blocked Trump’s account after the storming of the Capitol in 2021. Subsequently, this led him to rethink his support for a TikTok ban.
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In addition to Zuckerberg’s «alignment» with Trump’s notions of «free expression», the Meta boss also scored a few brownie points with the President-elect by donating a million dollars to his inauguration fund. According to Business Insider, Trump’s pleased with Meta’s new direction. Quite the departure from his previous position that Zuckerberg deserved «life in prison».
What does this mean for Meta’s financial situation?
It remains to be seen whether Meta’s change of course will impact its finances. As economic outlet Fidelity has pointed out, the value of X dropped dramatically after Musk laid off moderators and implemented a community notes feature. Some advertisers also jumped ship, likely out of concern for their image.
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Losing advertisers would be slightly more problematic for Zuckerberg than for Musk. While Zuckerberg’s income largely comes from advertising revenue, X owner Elon Musk’s earnings primarily come from the tech sector, for example through Tesla or SpaceX. However, it’s possible that various companies will rethink their approach to advertising under Trump’s administration.
I've been tinkering with digital networks ever since I found out how to activate both telephone channels on the ISDN card for greater bandwidth. As for the analogue variety, I've been doing that since I learned to talk. Though Winterthur is my adoptive home city, my heart still bleeds red and blue.