Social media giant Meta has amended its Hateful Conduct policy, allowing users to discriminate against a range of minorities across its platforms Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.
Amanda Yeo at Mashable reports that Meta has removed restrictions against dehumanising people over protected characteristics, which are defined by the company as “race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, religious affiliation, caste, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, [or] serious disease.”
“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 and common non-serious usage of words like ‘weird,'” Meta said of its amendments.
Advocacy group GLAAD has slammed the changes, saying they give social media users a “green light for people to target LGBTQ people, women, immigrants, and other marginalized groups with violence, vitriol, and dehumanizing narratives.”
“With these changes, Meta is continuing to normalize anti-LGBTQ hatred for profit — at the expense of its users and true freedom of expression,” said GLAAD CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis. “Fact-checking and hate speech policies protect free speech.”
As Ellis notes, the amendments coincide with a decision by Meta to eliminate fact-checking, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg saying its previous system was “too politically biased”.
“[Meta will] Work with President Trump to push back against foreign governments going after American companies to censor more,” Zuckerburg said on Threads. “The US has the strongest constitutional protections for free expression in the world and the best way to defend against the trend of government overreach on censorship is with the support of the US government,” Zuckerburg continued.
Meta will move to a Community Notes model similar to that seen on Elon Musk’s X rather than fact-checking, though Crikey’s Cam Wilson reports that fact-checking will continue here in Australia until at least 2026.
Meta’s decision has led to a decision by Stevivor to remove updates from its platforms. You can learn which social media platforms we’re active on here.
This article may contain affiliate links, meaning we could earn a small commission if you click-through and make a purchase. Stevivor is an independent outlet and our journalism is in no way influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative.
