Zuckerberg Goes “Full MAGA” as Meta Ends Fact-Checking in U.S. & Paves Way for More Hate Speech



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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced major changes to what content is allowed on his company’s social media platforms Facebook, Instagram and Threads, scrapping the system of independent fact-checkers in favor of “community notes” from volunteer users. Zuckerberg also loosened moderation rules around offensive speech, which will allow hateful content targeting women, LGBTQ people and other groups. Meta’s changes have been widely interpreted as a gift to Donald Trump and other Republicans, who have long argued against the policing of hate speech and disinformation online. The company has also donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration and recently added Trump ally Dana White, the CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship, to its corporate board — part of a larger shift in Silicon Valley toward Trump and his MAGA movement. For more on these changes, we speak with media scholars Siva Vaidhyanathan and Marc Owen Jones, as well as Philippine journalist Maria Ressa, whose media company Rappler has been at the forefront of battling disinformation and hate speech on social media. “As of last year, 71% of the world is under authoritarian rule. We are electing illiberal leaders democratically, partly because our public information ecosystem … is corrupting our individual communications with each other,” says Ressa.

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50 thoughts on “Zuckerberg Goes “Full MAGA” as Meta Ends Fact-Checking in U.S. & Paves Way for More Hate Speech”

  1. It’s important to have a good sense of perspective. It’s not that people don’t care about other people. It’s just that people don’t want to be told what they can and can’t do. That’s the very crux of all of this. As a lifelong democrat who’s fought for social justice, it just all started to seem like a farse when our democracy is based on the freedom to express yourself. And there was a reason we fought so hard for that freedom of expression. To forget why, is a tragedy. We’d do so much better by seeing each other as human instead of labels like left and right. Remember, it starts with censorship, then books burn followed by bodies. We don’t want to repeat history. And also, regulation won’t change minds. So, instead of seeking control over others, seek to lift consciousness. It’s not done through power grabs. It’s done through example, inspiration and creativity. Step up to the task.

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  2. Boycott FB/Meta & the inaugeration of DJT; haven't trusted Zuckerberg's decisions about users' private data for many years. It was apparentin watching the Senate hearing in which he stated "I don't know, I just own the company". That was enough for me, never posted another photo; so frankly this policy is no surprise.

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  3. I left Facebook many years ago, after reporting them for offensive posts ( including child & animal abuse ), at least a dozen times, only to be told that these posts would not be removed as they did not go against Facebook's guidelines.

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  4. Not all free speech is hateful… free expression is not hate speech. We all can determine what entails hate speech. It seems that Democracy Now is for censoring free speech based on their own standards.

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  5. Content that is truth in the eye of the beholder!.
    Slander and libel against an entity and ,or person is a court to decide judge or jury .
    Cost involved paid by a taxation flat or not?
    Taxes collected usually benefit all ,including those that do not fund taxation.
    Open season on a group or elections or hate or love ,agency of freedom .
    L😅ve or hate are in free speech , objects say. Person might not have ability to court cases, should that change?😮

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  6. Suckerberg went to Mud-O-Lago to kiss the Clowns ring with a $1 million dollar gift 💝 For the tramponian NeoNazi swearing in on Mien Kamph, in place of the Bible, party which not one dollar will be out of trumps pocket. Everything’s going in, not out.

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  7. Does anyone remember the internet before social media? I do and I miss it badly. The only social media we had was newsgroups. Does anyone remember those? There were thousands of them on any subject so you didn't have to see any crap you weren't interested in. Someone should bring those back.

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  8. Everybody knows it’s ISRAEL that pushed through the ban of TikTok. It has nothing to do with China- that’s the lie. It’s all Israel lobby because the young people are ALL PRO HUMANITY = ANTI-ISRAEL

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  9. So, hopefully the difference will start with the US. With the change to Meta, many of us were upset because as a woman and a person of color, I am one of those who has been attacked and has had my page, that I have had since 2013, attempted to be taken down.
    I see this Change as a gift.
    It allows those of us who have been doing the fat checking, for years, but we’re being reported and almost shut down, some of my friends pages have been shut down, and their pages have been taken over by hateful people.

    This change with meta-allows those of us who have become more cordial, polite, sarcastic, with our fact, checking and are fighting on the front lines, oh how I hate to say that as a USAF vet, of the Internet to shut down these lies and combat it with truth.

    It took some time, but now instead of me blocking the Maga and the hateful and the trolls, they now block me.

    Lifting this free for all on all of these sites, does not make me want to run to a new site, it invigorates me and the others that I’m encouraging to stay put and fight.

    If we continue to not fact, check people who are spreading lies, we lose.

    And yes, I am extra energized. Now that I have family who have lost homes in the recent LA county fires. The lies that continued to be spread while people are losing their lives and their livelihood is disgusting. And I will continue to battle those lies.

    I think everyone else should put on their big boy or big girl britches, and learn the art of nice nasty: It’s a lot of truth, with a lot of politeness, and a little sarcasm.

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  10. Out with the fact checkers only means no more liberal interference and control or manipulation within Facebook. So it was find when liberal democrats controlled the fact checking biased to their narratives and agendas and threatened free speech , but now that those controls have been removed , suddenly it’s now going full mega and removing fact checking and suddenly a threat to democracy. Screw this channel and it’s biased liberal fascism and propaganda.

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  11. Yeah I’ve reported countless things here in America and they do just ignore it I don’t know what their community standards are but they’re not ethical or moral. I tried to post a George Carlin video called dumb Americans and they said it was hate speech the man who fought for freedom of speech was considered hate speech on Facebook disgusting

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  12. We have to STOP with this PARTISAN BS. Zuckerburg has THANKFULLY been FORCED TO END THE AUTHORITARIANISM of the Biden administration. Why shoukd we believe ANYTHING a PARTISAN shill says now? These sociopaths can't even condemn the murder of children or be consistent in what a "genocide" is. To now imply Trump is ushering in authoritarian is a BLATANT LIE. It's already up and running.

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  13. 😂 He lives in Hawaii now. That is how all the guys dress here. Big shirts, chains, and Lifted Tacos. MAGA is redneck, not all bro’d out. This is just island style.
    Progressives here are foreign or mainland transplants for the most part. Mainly conservative locals who enjoy hunting, fishing, country music, and rodeo.
    Progressives blinded themselves to culture shift by silencing their opposition. When the people no longer hold individual grievances, but question the very purpose of their founding institutions, is when an autocratic regime is ripe for revolutionary change.
    History shows us dramatic overthrow results in an even worse theocracy. Changes must be made exactly how the Oligarchs implemented them. Which is through lobbying, amendments and bills that make the playing field uneven. Lobbying must be made illegal, congressional term limits imposed, and mandatory retirement when eligible for social security by all government officials. They are the ones “stealing” our jobs, not the immigrants starting from the bottom. They are the ones refusing to downsize in this economy and keeping the 4 bedroom home. Ageism is the elephant in the room right now in the class wars. Our young people have nothing now. No important jobs, titles, and no home equity. The only jobs being created are part time because these old people won’t give the opportunity to a young family.

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