Meta's U-turn on moderation is of great concern to France

© Unsplash/Austin Distel

French diplomacy expresses its « concern » following the abrupt change of direction at Meta. In a video published on January 7, Mark Zuckerberg announced several measures related to moderation on his various platforms, with the aim of preparing for the presidency of Donald Trump.

End of fact-checking

Among them, we find the end of fact-checking in the United States. This practice aims to verify the accuracy of information, statements or facts reported by professionals.

«After Trump's election in 2016, mainstream media relentlessly wrote that disinformation was a threat to democracy. We have tried in good faith to address these concerns without becoming arbiters of truth, but fact-checkers have simply been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they have created, particularly in the United States ,” explained the Facebook and Instagram boss.

He will ultimately opt for a feature that allows users to add notes to posts, like what was implemented on a certain X… For now, the European Union is not affected by this decision, the Digital Services Act (DSA) imposing strong rules to combat disinformation; Moreover, Elon Musk's platform is in the sights of the European Commission for, precisely, having put an end to fact-checking on its social network.

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© Mark Zuckerberg/Cleo Abram

Different Concepts of Freedom of Speech

This does not prevent the authorities from worrying about Mark Zuckerberg's announcements. ” Freedom of expression, a fundamental right protected in France and in Europe, cannot be confused with a right to virality which would authorize the diffusion of inauthentic content reaching millions of users without filter or moderation “, declared the spokesperson for French diplomacy.

At the same time, Meta has launched a study to assess the risks of its new measure, in accordance with the DSA's requisitions. ” They assured us that they intended to respect our rules and that they had this impact study in mind, which is underway “, specified Clara Chappaz, Minister Delegate for Digital Affairs.

Meta is inspired by X

In addition to the end of fact-checking across the Atlantic, Meta has also decided to modify its moderation policy to highlight the concept of absolute freedom of expression, very dear to Elon Musk. With this in mind, the company will move its dedicated teams from California to Texas.

These measures risk leaving the door open to the proliferation of false information, especially with the rise of AI, which Meta continues to integrate directly into the user experience.

• French diplomacy has expressed its concerns following the end of fact-checking on Meta.
• For its part, the company assures that it is complying with European law in the implementation of this new measure.
• For the moment, Europe is not concerned, this decision only concerns the United States.

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