Meta changes hate speech rules, dropping LGBTQ protections

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, dropped some LGBTQ protections from its hate speech rules Tuesday amid a wider overhaul of the social media giant’s content moderation practices.

Under its newly updated policies on hateful conduct, Meta will allow users to accuse LGBTQ individuals of being mentally ill despite otherwise prohibiting such content.

“We do allow allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality,” Meta’s policies read.

The updated language also permits users to argue for “gender-based limitations of military, law enforcement, and teaching jobs,” as well as similar content based on sexual orientation when tied to religious beliefs.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced major changes to his company’s content moderation policies Tuesday, which he described as an effort to “get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies and restoring free expression.”

As part of the overhaul, Meta is eliminating its third-party fact checking program and replacing it with community-based program called Community Notes.

Much like the program of the same name on Elon Musk’s X, Meta’s Community Notes will rely on users to submit notes or corrections to posts that are potentially misleading or lack context.

Zuckerberg also announced that the social media giant would alter its policies on some divisive issues like immigration and gender.

“What started as a movement to be more inclusive has increasingly been used to shut down opinions and shut out people with different ideas, and it’s gone too far,” he said in a video posted Tuesday. “So I want to make sure that people can share their beliefs and experiences on our platforms.”

The Meta CEO pointed to the recent election for his company’s policy changes, saying it felt "like a cultural tipping point towards, once again, prioritizing speech."

Zuckerberg, who has long had a rocky relationship with President-elect Trump, has appeared keen to mend fences with Trump since the election, meeting with the president-elect at Mar-a-Lago and donating $1 million to his inaugural fund.

Trump praised Meta’s announcement Tuesday, saying the company has “come a long way.” When asked if the move was Zuckerberg responding to his threats against him, the president-elect said, “Probably.”

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