After the victory of Donald Trump, who was considered to be the most jingoistic in the US Presidential elections, almost all major governments, including that of China, and major companies began recalibration of their policies. However, the most impactful realignment that could affect the lives of at least 3.3 billion people and more was introduced by billionaire Mark Zuckerberg Meta Inc., impairing people’s ability to make right and informed decisions.
At the core of this restructuring lies Zuckerberg’s decision to relax content moderation rules and phase out the third-party fact-checking platforms, which he claimed were stifling free speech and promoting bias.
The company, which owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads, will use the community notes system, which is similar to the one used by Trump’s ally Elon Musk-led social media platform X.
In 2016, Meta announced funding for third-party fact-checkers after concerns were raised by disinformation being peddled on social media platforms.
Trump during his first term as the President always criticised social media platforms for “engaging in selective censorship”.
Since Trump’s victory in the first term was considered an anomaly, social media promoters like Zuckerberg brushed aside his concerns. However, as Trump conquered both the White House and Capitol Hill, Zuckerberg appears to have fallen in line with Trump’s ideology.
As the promoter of Meta, Zuckerberg is well within his rights to protect the interests of his shareholders. However, maligning the reputation of fact checkers is unwarranted.
During his podcast session with American media personality Joe Rogan, Zuckerberg observed that the incumbent government in India, as elsewhere in the world, has lost in the recent elections.
It is patently untrue as the government led by Narendra Modi had won the elections. This instance shows that if the Meta chief himself could peddle disinformation on social media with impunity, how accurate would the opinions of an average person be?
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