Zuckerberg wants to restore freedom of speech on Facebook and Instagram: what will change

The CEO of Meta Platforms has published a video message apologizing for censorship on Facebook and announced plans to expand freedom of speech on the company's platforms with the support of the Trump administration. This is reported by UNN  with reference to the Facebook page of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Details

It is noted that the censorship on Facebook and Instagram practiced by Meta has gone too far, so the company is refusing to use fact-checkers. Restrictions on discussing such important and sensitive topics as immigration, gender and gender identity will be lifted. 

It's time to get back to our roots and free expression on Facebook and Instagram

Zuckerberg noted that the fact-checkers who used to moderate content had become too politically biased, and this led to an excessive number of innocent messages being censored. From now on, the company is going to abandon the use of independent fact-checkers, replacing them with a new system of "community notes.

According to him, Meta will return to its "roots" by focusing on reducing errors in moderation systems, simplifying policies, and restoring freedom of speech. He explained that the new system will allow users to add notes to controversial publications that expand the context and explain where the author may be wrong. Such notes can be evaluated.

We've built a lot of sophisticated systems to moderate content, but the problem with sophisticated systems is that they make mistakes. Even if they accidentally censor only 1% of posts, that's millions of people, and we've reached a point where there are too many errors and too much censorship

The "community notes" system will be similar to the one that currently exists on X (formerly Twitter). It will be implemented on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. However, for now, users will only be able to add notes in the US.

According to Zuckerberg, Meta will also simplify content policies, in particular on immigration and gender, which has become an important topic in many countries, including the United States. Zuckerberg noted that content moderation methods will be changed to combat serious violations more effectively. Now, filters will focus only on high-level violations, "the social network will continue to take seriously the threat of drugs, terrorism, and child exploitation.

Previously, we had filters that checked for any policy violation. Now we're going to focus these filters on illegal and serious violations

According to him, in the case of less serious violations, social networks will rely on reports from users before taking action.

Another important change will be the return of civic content to the platform. Zuckerberg said that Meta wants to support topics related to governance, human rights, civil rights, and participation in the democratic process.

In addition, the team responsible for security and content moderation will be transferred from California to Texas. According to Zuckerberg, there are "fewer concerns about team bias" there.

Zuckerberg also promised to cooperate with the US government to fight back against world governments that "harass American companies and seek increased censorship.

In Latin America, there are secret courts that can order companies to quietly take down their materials. In China, censorship prohibits our apps from operating in the country. The only way to counter this global trend is with the support of the US government, and that's why it's been so difficult for us in the last four years, when even the US government has been in favor of censorship

The platform recognizes that complex systems will never be perfect. However, the main priority now is to reduce the level of censorship and return to the mission of the social network: to give people a voice and the opportunity to freely express their opinions.

Recall

Mark Zuckerberg initiated a meeting with Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club to establish relations. The parties discussed the future of American innovation and possible future cooperation.