SNA (Galesburg) — Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, has signaled a major shift in how the company will handle content moderation and free expression on its platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.

In a statement released on January 7, Zuckerberg acknowledged the complexities of content moderation in recent years, saying, “I started building social media to give people a voice. I gave a speech at Georgetown five years ago about the importance of protecting free expression, and I still believe this today, but a lot has happened over the last several years.”

He noted the pressures from governments and legacy media for increased censorship, which he sees as often politically motivated, while also recognizing the need to combat serious issues like drugs, terrorism, and child exploitation.

The Meta CEO criticized the current systems for their propensity for errors, stating, “The problem with complex systems is they make mistakes even if they accidentally censor just 1% of posts. That’s millions of people, and we’ve reached a point where it’s just too many mistakes and too much censorship.”

He pointed to recent elections as a cultural tipping point that has prompted this reevaluation of the company’s approach.

Zuckerberg announced several significant changes to Meta’s policies. He plans to replace fact-checkers with a community-driven notes system similar to one used by Elon Musk’s X, arguing that traditional fact-checking has been too politically biased and has damaged trust.

He also intends to simplify content policies, removing what he described as out-of-touch restrictions on topics like immigration and gender, which he believes have been used to stifle diverse opinions.

In terms of enforcement, Zuckerberg outlined a new strategy that would focus automated filters only on the most severe violations, reducing the automatic censorship of less serious content. He also mentioned the reintroduction of civic content on the platforms, reversing previous moves to limit political posts due to user feedback about stress levels.

Additionally, he announced that trust and safety teams would be relocated from California to Texas, aiming to build trust by placing these operations in what he perceives as a less biased environment.

Internationally, Zuckerberg expressed intentions to collaborate with incoming President Donald Trump to push back against global censorship trends, particularly in regions like Europe and Latin America, where he sees increasing regulatory challenges.

Despite the changes, Zuckerberg admitted, “the reality is that this is a trade-off. It means we’re going to catch less bad stuff, but we’ll also reduce the number of innocent people’s posts and accounts that we accidentally take down.”

He concluded his statement with a commitment to reducing mistakes, simplifying systems, and reaffirming Meta’s roots in promoting free expression. “But now we have the opportunity to restore free expression, and I’m excited to take it,” he stated, looking forward to what he described as a new chapter for the company.

Become a Shingetsu News supporter on Patreon.