Mark Zuckerberg’s MAGA transformation is set to reshape the entire internet. Business news.

 Mark Zuckerberg’s MAGA transformation is set to reshape the entire internet. Business news.

Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of Meta, speaks at the SIGGRAPH conference on July 29, 2024,

New York—
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced significant changes to the social internet, aligning the company’s policies with the preferences of President-elect Donald Trump and his supporters.

The updates include the removal of fact-checkers, long criticized by conservatives, and the introduction of more lenient rules for posting right-leaning opinions. “The recent elections feel like a cultural tipping point towards once again prioritizing speech,” Zuckerberg stated, justifying the relaxed content moderation rules for platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.

He accused “governments and legacy media” of promoting censorship, echoing a common right-wing narrative used to discredit fact-checking efforts.

As one of the most influential companies in the digital world, Meta’s changes are expected to have widespread effects, reshaping large parts of the internet in ways that cater to MAGA ideals.

The announcements, made Tuesday morning, appeared to be a direct nod to Trump, especially since the news was first shared exclusively with “Fox & Friends,” a favorite program of the president-elect. Meta’s newly promoted policy chief, Joel Kaplan—a former senior adviser to George W. Bush—discussed the updates on the show, embracing the “censorship versus freedom” framing that resonated with its conservative audience.

Kaplan’s appearance underscored Meta’s recalibration as it prepares for Trump’s second term. This comes despite past tensions between Trump and Zuckerberg, with Trump previously accusing the Meta CEO of election interference and even threatening imprisonment.

Meta’s moves may also reflect its interest in improving relations with the incoming administration as it faces a looming antitrust trial with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in April. Outgoing FTC Chair Lina Khan remarked on CNBC that Meta might be angling for “a sweetheart deal” under the Trump administration, cautioning against such outcomes.

In the announcement, Zuckerberg touched on topics that resonate strongly with right-wing audiences, promising to “remove a bunch of restrictions on topics like immigration and gender that are out of touch with mainstream discourse.”

Meta will also end its partnerships with third-party fact-checking organizations, opting instead for a system similar to X’s (formerly Twitter) “community notes.” Zuckerberg criticized fact-checkers as “too politically biased,” asserting that they have “destroyed more trust than they’ve created, especially in the US.”

Overall, the company plans to adopt a much more hands-off approach to content moderation across its platforms, signaling a new era of laissez-faire policies for the social internet.

Meta Eases Content Moderation Rules, Drawing Mixed Reactions

“We want to reverse the mission creep that has made our rules too restrictive and prone to over-enforcement,” wrote Meta’s Joel Kaplan in a blog post.

Meta plans to relax its content moderation policies, tuning its systems to require a much higher degree of confidence before removing any content, Kaplan explained.

The changes were quickly praised by conservatives, but many others, including misinformation experts, warned that Meta’s platforms could become even more toxic. False and harmful content are likely to proliferate, they cautioned.

The changes may also have economic consequences, potentially leading to job losses at news outlets. Journalist Jane Lytvynenko pointed out on Bluesky that Facebook and Google are major financial backers of fact-checking organizations worldwide, and that many newsrooms depend on this funding for survival.

“For users of the platforms, it means they are once again left to determine what is reliable information and what is not,” Lytvynenko added.

Some commentators suggested that Zuckerberg’s shift could accelerate the rise of alternative social networks like Bluesky, while others predicted that most users might not notice the differences.

Zuckerberg concluded his video by announcing that Meta is “bringing back civic content,” meaning the company will adjust its algorithms to show users more posts related to elections, politics, and social issues.

“For a while, the community asked to see less politics because it was causing stress, so we stopped recommending these posts,” he explained. “But now, it feels like we’re entering a new era, and we’re getting feedback that people want to see this content again.” While political posts often lead to conflict, Zuckerberg emphasized that Meta will strive to maintain “friendly and positive” communities.

Kaplan added that the company would adopt a more “personalized approach,” allowing users who desire more political content to see it in their feeds. This shift highlights the immense power Meta continues to wield.

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