Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has made the headlines again this week. Once again, he is pro-actively drawing attention to his company’s past censorship policies to distance himself from them. In a video released to the New York Post yesterday, Zuckerberg announced that Meta is ending its fact-checking program, adopting X-style Community Notes, and phasing out restrictions on topics like immigration and gender theory. As US politics and culture re-balances after a turbulent period, Meta follows X in adapting to its new reality.
The fall of censorship
The movement for censorship has taken some significant knocks over the last year, largely from within Silicon Valley. Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter in 2022 kicked off a steady clapback against the so-called ‘Censorship Industrial Complex’. Following the lead of Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro, Musk initiated proceedings against the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM). This was an advertising cartel which routinely boycotted outlets like the Daily Wire and X for political biases, real or perceived. GARM dissolved rather than face Musk’s lawsuit in August. Trump’s overwhelming victory in November is widely perceived as popular opposition to the cultural norms thrust upon Americans by the outgoing Democrat administration. Trump is the first Republican to win the popular vote in 20 years and with it, the GOP expanded its House majority and took control of the Senate. On a state level, Republicans saw a sweep of victories across the country too. This was all on the back of growing opposition to censorship within the American Right since 2016. Furthermore, Hate Speech regulations in the UK and Ireland have received international criticism. Ireland, the EU’s answer to Silicon Valley, scrapped its proposed Hate Speech bill under pressure last year. It is currently defending a lawsuit from Musk over its existing censorship regulations.
The Zuckerberg response
It should come as no surprise, then, that Mark Zuckerberg, an erstwhile defender of free speech, has gone to great lengths to follow Musk’s lead. In August, weeks after X launched the lawsuit against GARM, Zuckerberg released an open letter admitting that Washington pressured Meta to suppress posts during the last election. This was a welcome confirmation after years of stymied federal inquiry into the matter. Only last week, Meta replaced its Head of Global Affairs, Nick Clegg. Clegg was the leader of the left-leaning Liberal Democrat party in the UK for eight years and Deputy Prime Minister for five. Clegg’s replacement at Meta is Joel Kaplan, a pro-free speech advocate with close ties to the incoming administration. On Monday, Meta announced that Dana White will join its board. A staunch Trump apologist, the UFC President’s appointment is another obvious signal about the new direction for the company.
Rebrand or reversal?
Meta’s move from fact-checking may appear to be a copycat of X. However, for most of his public-facing career, Zuckerberg has been authentically pro-free speech. He has evidently gone through a personal brand journey in recent years. With the government actors breathing down his neck, it’s no surprise that this brand shift didn’t stop at facial hair or wardrobe choices. However, Trump’s election – and all that signifies for political re-alignments around the world – is providing cover for Zuckerberg to reclaim his public views.
Motivating Zuckerberg
That being said, we shouldn’t be naive. Zuckerberg’s own views may impact the authenticity of his message but it does not explain the real reason for the vibe shift. After all, Meta’s policies changed at the behest of government pressure in the past. It’s not likely that Zuckerberg or his company are courageously standing for what’s right all of a sudden. Zuckerberg and Musk have not been overly secret about their rivalry, especially since Musk entered the social media game. As the incoming Co-Director of the Department of Government Efficiency, Musk wields governmental influence his Silicon Valley counterparts could only dream of. Zuckerberg has read the writing on the wall over the last year and is focusing singularly on leveraging this to gain his own political influence. Where Zuckerbucks failed in 2020, Community Notes may succeed in 2025.
The future of Meta and Zuckerberg
Meta won’t stop at the US administration, though. With a global shift towards anti-establishment leaders, the US is only a test run. We can expect to see similar moves around the world to further ingratiate Zuckerberg and his company with the administrations run by Milei, Meloni, Polievre, and whoever else rises to power within the new Right Wing.
The outlook for Meta – and free speech in general – is promising. But so far, all that has happened is talk. Zuckerberg has publicly voiced his support for popular policies and appointed people who are in the Trump inner circle. Only when Meta starts implementing its promises – and redressing its previous errors – will free speech advocates have much to celebrate. Until then, the pressure must remain.
