8-1-2025 (CALIFORNIA) Social media behemoth Meta has announced a dramatic shift in its content moderation approach, dismantling its American fact-checking system in favour of a community-led model that mirrors rival platform X, whilst simultaneously easing restrictions on discussions about immigration and gender identity.
In a sweeping policy reversal announced on Tuesday, Meta’s chief executive Mark Zuckerberg signalled the end of an era that had defined the company’s stance on content oversight. The move represents a significant departure from Zuckerberg’s previous steadfast defence of robust content moderation, which had drawn fierce criticism from conservative circles who alleged censorship across Meta’s platforms.
The timing of this strategic pivot coincides with recent high-profile appointments at Meta, including Republican policy veteran Joel Kaplan’s elevation to global affairs chief and the addition of Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White, a known associate of President-elect Donald Trump, to the company’s board of directors.
In a video statement, Zuckerberg acknowledged the system’s shortcomings: “We’ve reached a point where it’s just too many mistakes and too much censorship. It’s time to get back to our roots around free expression.”
The Facebook founder outlined plans to replace professional fact-checkers with a community-driven annotation system, similar to that employed by X. “We’re going to focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies and restoring free expression on our platforms,” Zuckerberg explained, adding that content removal would require “much higher confidence” under the new guidelines.
In a parallel move, Meta announced plans to decentralise its trust and safety operations, relocating teams responsible for content policy oversight from California to various locations across the United States, with Texas emerging as a key hub.
