It wasnB次元官网网址檛 just that Meta scrapped from its platforms as it prepares for the second Trump administration. The social media giant has also loosened its rules around hate speech and abuse B次元官网网址� again following the lead of Elon MuskB次元官网网址檚 X B次元官网网址� specifically when it comes to sexual orientation and gender identity as well as immigration status.

The changes are worrying advocates for vulnerable groups, who say MetaB次元官网网址檚 decision to scale back content moderation could lead to real-word harms. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Tuesday that the company will B次元官网网址渞emove restrictions on topics like immigration and gender that are out of touch with mainstream discourse,B次元官网网址� citing B次元官网网址渞ecent electionsB次元官网网址� as a catalyst.

For instance, Meta has added the following to its rules B次元官网网址� called B次元官网网址� that users are asked to abide by:

B次元官网网址淲e 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 B次元官网网址榳eird.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� In other words, it is now permitted to call gay people mentally ill on Facebook, Threads and Instagram. Other slurs and what Meta calls B次元官网网址渉armful stereotypes historically linked to intimidationB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� such as Blackface and Holocaust denial B次元官网网址� are still prohibited.

The Menlo Park, California-based company also removed a sentence from its B次元官网网址減olicy rationaleB次元官网网址� explaining why it bans certain hateful conduct. The now-deleted sentence said that hate speech B次元官网网址渃reates an environment of intimidation and exclusion, and in some cases may promote offline violence.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淭he policy change is a tactic to earn favor with the incoming administration while also reducing business costs related to content moderation,B次元官网网址� said Ben Leiner, a lecturer at the University of VirginiaB次元官网网址檚 Darden School of Business who studies political and technology trends. B次元官网网址淭his decision will lead to real-world harm, not only in the United States where there has been an uptick in hate speech and disinformation on social media platforms, but also abroad where disinformation on Facebook has accelerated ethnic conflict in .B次元官网网址�

Meta, in fact, that it didnB次元官网网址檛 do enough to prevent its platform from being used to B次元官网网址渋ncite offline violenceB次元官网网址� in Myanmar, fueling communal hatred and violence against the countryB次元官网网址檚 Muslim Rohingya minority.

, a former engineering director at Meta known for his expertise on curbing online harassment, said while most of the attention has gone to the companyB次元官网网址檚 fact-checking announcement Tuesday, he is more worried about the changes to MetaB次元官网网址檚 harmful content policies.

ThatB次元官网网址檚 because instead of proactively enforcing rules against things like self-harm, bullying and harassment, Meta will now rely on user reports before it takes any action. The company said it plans to focus its automated systems on B次元官网网址渢ackling illegal and high-severity violations, like terrorism, child sexual exploitation, drugs, fraud and scams.B次元官网网址�

B茅jar said thatB次元官网网址檚 even though B次元官网网址淢eta knows that by the time a report is submitted and reviewed the content will have done most of its harm.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚 shudder to think what these changes will mean for our youth, Meta is abdicating their responsibility to safety, and we wonB次元官网网址檛 the impact of these changes because Meta refuses to be transparent about the harms teenagers experience, and they go to extraordinary lengths to dilute or stop legislation that could help,B次元官网网址� he said.