During the past week, Mark Zuckerberg made significant changes to various policies at Meta platforms, including Facebook, Threads, and Instagram. He concluded the week with a lengthy interview on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast. Some users viewed these actions as a transparent attempt at gaining favor with the current political landscape in the U.S. Despite this perception, Zuckerberg seems unfazed as evidenced by his recent donation of $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund and his expressed optimism about president-elect Donald Trump on Rogan’s podcast.
It was a busy week for Meta, with Zuckerberg implementing numerous transformative decisions within the company, valued at over $200 billion, just before Trump’s inauguration. Here is a summary of the key changes Zuckerberg made:
Fact checkers are out
Zuckerberg decided to eliminate fact checkers in favor of community notes, citing a need to simplify policies and reduce errors. This decision was met with criticism from civil and human rights organizations, emphasizing that content moderation should promote dialogue and protect truth.
He defended this move on Rogan’s podcast, claiming that the fact checkers were biased and comparing the process to something depicted in the novel “1984.”
Hate speech is in
Meta relaxed its policies on hate speech, allowing certain derogatory content to be posted on its platforms. Users can now make offensive remarks related to protected characteristics without facing action from the platform. Meta clarified that while some slurs and attacks are still prohibited, it will allow certain forms of hate speech based on gender or sexual orientation.
DEI initiatives are out
Meta decided to discontinue its diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, eliminating equity and inclusion training for employees. The company shifted its focus to creating cognitively diverse teams but removed specific diversity hiring goals and minority-focused hiring practices.
Tampons are out
Meta instructed facilities managers to remove tampons from men’s bathrooms in its offices, a move that was previously provided for nonbinary and transgender employees. This action was perceived as a virtue signaling attempt by some observers.
Trans and nonbinary Messenger themes are out
Meta removed trans and nonbinary themes from its Messenger app, disabling these options for users. These themes allowed users to customize their chats based on trans and nonbinary pride colors, indicating a shift in LGBTQ-friendly features.
Political speech on Instagram and Threads is in
Instagram and Threads will now recommend political content to users, with the ability to adjust the level of exposure to political content. This decision marks a reversal from Meta’s previous approach of distancing itself from political content.
Dana White is in
Meta announced Dana White, a prominent Trump ally and CEO of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as a new addition to its board of directors. This move, along with other board appointments, signifies Zuckerberg’s efforts to enhance ties with Trump.
