Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's decision to terminate Facebook Third-party fact-checkers Easing some of its content restrictions represents a potentially “transformative” moment for the platform, but is unlikely to protect the company from liability in ongoing court proceedings, experts said.
The updates were announced by Zuckerberg, who said in a video that previous content restrictions used on Facebook and Instagram — which were put in place after the 2016 election — “went too far” and allowed too much political bias from outside the facts. Checkers.
He said Meta will now replace that system with a “community feedback”-style program, similar to the approach taken by social media platform X. Owned by Elon MuskAssociate Director of the Planned Government Efficiency Department.
“We've gotten to a point where there's a lot of errors and a lot of oversight,” Zuckerberg said. “The recent election also appears to be a cultural turning point toward once again prioritizing expression. So we will return to our roots, focusing on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies, and restoring freedom of expression on our platforms.”
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives for a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on January 31, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
President-elect Donald Trump praised the news, telling Fox News Digital that he believed so “It was excellent,” Meta offered. “They've come a long way,” Trump said.
However, this is unlikely to ease legal liability for Meta, which in recent months has been hit by the prospect of a multi-billion-dollar class action lawsuit stemming from a privacy scandal involving political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica.
Supreme Court in November It rejected Meta's efforts to block the lawsuit, leaving in place an appeals court ruling that allowed the class action to move forward.
Meta has also been the target of multiple Republican-led investigations in Congress. Republicans on the House Subcommittee on Arming the Federal Government investigated META's activity and communications with the federal government and the Biden administration last year as part of a broader investigation into alleged censorship.
The platform also came under scrutiny by the House Oversight Committee in August Part of the investigation In allegations that the platform withheld information about the attempted assassination of Trump on July 13.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg apologizes to families harmed by unsafe social media during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
Combined, these factors make it unlikely that Meta will see its legal troubles go away anytime soon, the law professor and Fox News contributor said. Jonathan Turley said Fox News Digital in an interview.
“Facebook is now looking at a difficult stage ahead,” he said. “Not only do Republicans control both chambers of Congress as well as the White House, but there is ongoing social media litigation in Texas.”
In addition, the Supreme Court is also conservative in its majority You are unlikely to be sympathetic Meta's views in any case center on protecting First Amendment rights and free speech.
The House investigations and lawsuits have brought more of Meta's actions into public view — something Turley said he expects will come under more scrutiny in the discovery process in Missouri v. Biden, a case centered around allegations of political censorship.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives to testify before the US Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, “Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis,” in Washington, D.C., on January 31, 2024. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
“This discovery continues to reveal new details,” Turley said. “Meta therefore understands that in the coming months, more details about its censorship program will be revealed.”
However, he said, This “could be a turning point,” Turley said.
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“And Zuckerberg’s alliance with (Elon) Musk could turn things around in this matter Fighting for freedom of expression“As one of Zuckerberg’s most prominent critics, I welcome him into this fight,” Turley said.
