Dear MoveOn member,
By now you've maybe heard that Meta, the trillion-dollar company that runs Facebook and Instagram, is no longer fact-checking content on its platforms and abandoning most content moderation.1 But even more alarming than the announcement is the motive behind this disastrous move.
For years, Trump and congressional Republicans have unfairly accused Meta and other social media platforms of censorship and stifling free speech because of its efforts to curb hate speech and disinformation, particularly since then-Facebook began fact-checking in the wake of the 2016 election.2 Republicans complained that Meta’s third party fact-checkers are biased and partisan, despite research discrediting these claims.3 Ironically, many of these same Republicans, including Trump himself, have actually spread disinformation online to confuse voters or stoke hate.
But now Meta, led by Zuckerberg, is scrambling to get on Trump's good side before he takes office, at the expense of the rest of us. It's no coincidence that the trillion-dollar corporation made this announcement just days before Donald Trump's inauguration and Meta's $1 million donation to Trump’s inaugural fund.4
Social media corporations must take responsibility for the content on their platforms. Without fact-checking and content moderation, conspiracy theories and lies can catch fire, and the consequences have the potential to be grave. We have already seen the impact of these conspiracy theories about vaccines and masks during the height of the COVID pandemic and the lies spread in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
Regardless of political party, we can all fall victim to trusting disinformation on the internet. And research shows that right-wing content circulates and out-performs left-leaning content on Facebook.5 So it makes sense that Trump would attack social media corporations like Meta for censorship when they attempt to curb disinformation. Now, without fact-checking, Trump and MAGA Republicans will benefit as they push conspiracy theories and lies to advance their self-serving agenda, while users are left to fend for themselves.
Despite conservative cries, bias has not been identified in Meta's fact-checking history.6 It's obvious that this move is more about protecting Meta from Republican attacks than protecting freedom of speech. And the result for the rest of us is terrible—more unchecked conspiracy theories and lies that target LGBTQ+ people, communities of color and immigrants, the integrity of our elections, and the accuracy of major national crises like COVID-19 and natural disasters.
Meta has nearly three billion active users every month across the world. Essentially, Trump and his MAGA allies want the freedom to lie and deceive the American public en masse, and Mark Zuckerberg is going to make it happen in hopes of becoming a part of Trump's loyalist circle. It's up to us to demand Zuckerberg stop bowing to Trump and take seriously the impacts of disinformation on Meta's platforms.
Thanks for all you do.
–Kelsey, Nakia, Aliya, Asna, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Meta says it will end fact checking as Silicon Valley prepares for Trump," NPR, January 7, 2025
https://act.moveon.org/go/201701?t=6&akid=420791%2E40999114%2E1lVSWo
2. Ibid.
3. "Zuckerberg and Meta are done pretending to care about mitigating the harms their platforms cause," Media Matters for America, January 7, 2025
https://act.moveon.org/go/201702?t=8&akid=420791%2E40999114%2E1lVSWo
4. "Amazon to contribute $1 million to Trump's inauguration fund. Meta is also donating $1M," AP News, December 13, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/201704?t=10&akid=420791%2E40999114%2E1lVSWo
5. "Zuckerberg and Meta are done pretending to care about mitigating the harms their platforms cause," Media Matters for America, January 7, 2025
https://act.moveon.org/go/201702?t=12&akid=420791%2E40999114%2E1lVSWo
6. "The Technology 202: New report calls conservative claims of social media censorship 'a form of disinformation'," The Washington Post, February 1, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/201703?t=14&akid=420791%2E40999114%2E1lVSWo
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