How Leftie Mark Zuckerberg is Pandering to Trump by Tearing up Internet Rules — and Remaking it in The Don's Fake News-Addicted Image
Mark Zuckerberg is pandering to Trump 2.0 by reshaping the internet in the image of his fake news-driven agenda.
Jan. 8 2025, Published 2:15 p.m. ET
Mark Zuckerberg's decision to change content moderation on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads could reflect his need for political allies.
With growing political pressure on tech firms, savvy Zuckerberg is adjusting his approach to maintain influence and avoid further scrutiny as Donald Trump takes office – especially as Meta faces potential changes to laws protecting social media companies, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The tech entrepreneur revealed he chose to end 'fact-checking' on Meta, fully supporting Trump.
Earlier this week, Zuckerberg shared his decision to end "fact-checking" on Meta – marking his shift from banning Trump to fully supporting the president-elect.
The tech entrepreneur admitted while Meta and Facebook had previously censored conservative views on a large scale, free speech will now be restored on both platforms.
In a five-minute video, he promised to return to the company's roots by reducing errors, simplifying policies, and enhancing free expression.
Zuckerberg received criticism for his decision in an update video shared earlier this week.
He said: "We're going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies, and restoring free expression on our platforms.
"More specifically, we're going to get rid of fact-checkers and replace them with community notes similar to X, starting in the US."
Zuckerberg received criticism in the comments of the announcement, with one writing: "New era of misinformation."
A second wrote: "So attacking minorities, encouraging their aggression, risking their lives as consequences, will be considered for you free expression? Oohhh I forgot, hate speech generates more engagement and that generates more money."
Another slammed: "Hey man, I noticed all the hate you're getting and I just wanted to say that you deserve it."
Zuckerberg said Meta would work with Trump to resist foreign pressures to censor American companies.
Similar to X, which was taken over by Tesla tycoon Elon Musk in 2023, Meta's shift will allow users to flag potentially misleading posts for more context – in a move that seems part of a broader effort to reshape the internet for a second Trump era.
Zuckerberg threatened governments in Europe, South America, and China, stating Meta would work with Trump to resist foreign pressures to censor American companies.
Making his platforms more Trump-friendly, Meta is also planning to move its trust and safety teams from liberal California to conservative Texas.
The switch aims to build trust in regions less concerned with team bias.
These changes come as Zuckerberg has been working to mend ties with Trump, donating $1 million to his inauguration fund and recently meeting him at the Republican's Mar-a-Lago resort.
Additionally, Zuckerberg added Dana White to Meta's board, representing a notable shift in his stance on social media.
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Meta will also "simplify" its policies to remove restrictions on topics like immigration and gender that are seen as out of step with mainstream discourse.
The changes will impact Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, with Trump long criticizing Meta for politically biased censorship against conservatives.
The president-elect was previously suspended from Facebook but reinstated in 2023.
He previously supported repealing Section 230, which protects social media companies from lawsuits over user content. After the January 6 insurrection, Trump was suspended from Facebook for two years but was reinstated in 2023 after announcing his third presidential run.
By July 2024, Meta lifted all penalties from his accounts, citing the public's need to hear from presidential candidates.
