Leaked training documents obtained by The Intercept offer more details about Meta’s updated Hateful Conduct rules. Specific examples of speech Meta allows include “Immigrants are grubby, filthy pieces of shit,” “Jews are flat out greedier than Christians,” and “Trans people are immoral.”
404 Media has updates from unnamed employees on how the moderation changes have been received:
“The entire thread of comments shared is dissent toward the new policy, save for one leader repeating Zuckerberg talking points. I’d call the mood shock and disbelief,” they added. “It’s embarrassment and shame that feels self-inflicted, different than mistakes the company has made in the past.”
Oh, and as for Joel Kaplan’s More Speech and Fewer Mistakes, Meta is already answering an “error” that blanked out search results for “LGBT” and “Trans.”
The Meta CEO is pushing back on critics who say the company is only making its content policy changes because it’s “too hard for people to leave.” Zuckerberg shot back that he’s “counting on these changes actually making our platform better,” and while some may leave for “virtue signaling,” most users will enjoy the changes.
The ten fact-checking organizations will continue to receive payments until August, and those who haven’t signed 2025 contracts could get severance, Business Insider reports. Meta told members of the International Fact-Checking Network that their partnerships were ending just 45 minutes before it publicly announced sweeping changes to its content moderation and fact checking policies.
X CEO Linda Yaccarino commended Mark Zuckerberg’s move to ditch third-party fact-checking in favor of a Community Notes-style moderation (inspired by X) onstage at CES. “It couldn’t be more validating,” Yaccarino said. “Mark and Meta realized that it’s the most effective, fastest fact checking, without bias.”
“Mark, Meta — welcome to the party,” she added.
Poor Mark Zuckerberg. Imagine calling the 2024 election a “cultural tipping point” for “prioritizing speech” and then the guy who got elected starts bragging about how he threatened you into self-censorship. At least Trump won’t throw him in jail?
