Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, recently announced major changes to its content moderation policies. Among these updates, the company revised its hateful conduct policy, allowing previously prohibited content. Phrases that refer to women as property and household objects are now allowed. While Meta has cloaked these changes as part of its commitment to free expression, users worry they may encourage harmful speech and misinformation on its platforms.
Revised Rules if Meta Allows Harmful Speech
Unfortunately, Meta has announced an updated policy that now permits users to refer to women as “household objects or property.” These types of comments were previously flagged and removed under the old rules. Additionally, the policy allows users to question the existence of certain protected groups and make allegations of mental illness tied to someone’s gender or sexual orientation. This is not what we call free expression.
Read More: Meta to Replace Fact-Checkers with Community Notes System
Meta has however justified their updates. They have explained that these changes align with ongoing political and religious discussions about topics like transgenderism and homosexuality. Meta has since also removed restrictions on posts arguing for gender-based limitations in professions such as teaching, law enforcement, and the military.
Despite these relaxed rules, Meta assured users that it will still enforce bans on slurs, incitement to violence, and targeted harassment against groups. However, users argue these changes could normalise hate speech and create an unsafe environment for marginalised communities that exist on Meta’s platforms.
Fact-Checking Eliminated
Alongside the hateful conduct updates, Meta also announced it will no longer use professional fact-checkers in the United States. Instead, it will rely on “community notes” to provide context to posts. Users deem this update unsafe, as it clearly opens the door to widespread misconceptions — a problem already common on social media platforms. The company justified this decision by stating that automated systems often censor too much content unnecessarily. However, experts worry this shift could lead to a rise in viral misinformation and unchecked false claims.
While Meta insists that it will continue to protect users from violence and harassment, its updated policies have opened up the room for the potential spread of hate speech and misinformation. These updates allow harmful rhetoric against women and other groups, which could lead to a more toxic online environment.
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