Zuckerberg appeals to freedom of expression to get closer to Donald Trump

“We are going back to our roots and focusing on reducing errors, simplifying our policies and restoring freedom of expression on our platforms,” ​​he said. Mark ZuckerbergCEO of Meta, in a statement made on video yesterday. “We’ve built a lot of complex systems to moderate content, but the problem with complex systems is that they make mistakes. Even if they accidentally censor just 1% of posts, that affects millions of people, and we have reached a point where there are too many mistakes and too much censorship,” the executive continued.

In the statement, Zuckerberg noted that the new system, which in principle will only work in the United Statesis similar to the community notes that Elon Musk’s X uses so that Internet users can self-manage moderation in the micromessaging ‘app’. And for the South African, in charge of other companies like Tesla, Meta copying the system doesn’t seem bad to him. Quite the opposite. “It’s cool,” according to Musk himself after sharing news on his X account about the change in his rival’s policies in the field of social networks.

Attacks on Biden

Experts consulted by ABC point out that this movement by Meta, added to many others that the firm has made during the last two months, is aimed directly at improving relations with the new United States Government led by donald trumpwho will return to the White House in a matter of days. The relationship between the leader and Zuckerberg’s app emporium has been tense for years. The high point: the blocking of Trump’s accounts on Facebook and Instagram following the assault on the Washington Capitol last 2021. A veto that Twitter also resorted to, but which was eliminated shortly after the purchase of the ‘app’ by Musk.

«Meta is very affected at a reputational level and was very much on Biden’s side at the time. If they make the community the verifier, they say that the verifiers have not been doing their job well so far; and, furthermore, with this they are getting closer to Donald Trump,” says digital business analyst José Luis Casal in conversation with ABC.

For his part, Ferran Lalueza, professor of Communication at the Open University of Catalonia, points out that the change in Meta, in addition to seeking to please Trump, has commercial purposes, since what users are most interested in is the consumption of content. “not moderated”: “In addition, the movement is very much in line with the new wave of commitment to freedom of expression on the internet.”

The company has stressed that, despite the changes, will continue to “aggressively” moderate content related to drugs, terrorism and child exploitation. It will also eliminate some content policies around controversial topics such as immigration and gender identity to allow more leeway for users.

Be that as it may, the change is added to many others that, for sure, will be to Trump’s liking. The most significant so far took place last week, when Meta announced the appointment of Joel Kaplan, a well-known Republican and former chief advisor to President George Bush, as its new director of global affairs, replacing the British Nick Cleggwho had been in office since 2018.

The new director of the technology company yesterday took advantage of an interview on ‘Fox’ regarding the changes in moderation to launch a direct attack against the Biden Administration: “When you have a president and an Administration in the United States that push for censorship, they simply “It opens up hunting season for other governments around the world that don’t even have First Amendment protections to put pressure on American businesses.”

Meta also announced a few hours ago the appointment of Dana White, CEO of the mixed martial arts company UFC and close friend of Donald Trump, as a new member of its board of directors.