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Meta's new hate speech guidelines permit users to say LGBTQ people are mentally ill

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  • Meta's new hate speech guidelines permit users to say LGBTQ people are mentally ill

    Changes to its hate speech guidelines were among broader policy shifts Meta made to its moderation practices.

    Jan. 7, 2025, 4:41 PM CST
    By Matt Lavietes

    Meta will allow its billions of social media users to accuse people of being mentally ill based on their sexuality or gender identity, among broader changes it made to its moderation policies and practices Tuesday.

    The company’s new guidelines prohibit insults about someone’s intellect or mental illness on Facebook, Instagram and Threads, as have previous iterations. However, the latest guidelines now include a caveat for accusing LGBTQ people of being mentally ill because they are gay or transgender.

    “We do allow allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality and common non-serious usage of words like ‘weird,’” the revised company guidelines read.

    The new guidelines around hate speech are part of Meta’s broader major changes regarding how it moderates online speech on its platforms. On Tuesday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said it will replace its fact-checking program, which has relied on trusted organizational partners, with a community-driven system similar to X’s Community Notes. X’s system allows users to submit suggested “notes” on other people’s content, and then certain users vote on whether or not the notes are publicly displayed. ...



  • #2
    EU rejects the Meta censorship claims amid policy changes

    ​9th January 2025
    By Muhammad Zulhusni

    The European Commission has disagreed with remarks made by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg‘s recently, rejecting his assessment of EU data laws that labels them as “censorship.”

    The Commission was quick to clarify its stance, emphasising that its Digital Services Act (DSA) doesn’t demand platforms remove lawful content. A spokesperson explained that the focus is on harmful material, like content that could impact children or democracy. “We absolutely refute any claims of censorship,” the spokesperson added. ...

    The sweeping changes to Meta’s content moderation policies have sparked criticism from lawmakers and experts in both the European Union and the UK. Some worry that the decision to scrap fact-checking in the US could set a troubling precedent for global operations.​ ...

    “To hear that Meta is removing all its factcheckers [in the US] is concerning…,” one EU lawmaker said. “People have a right to be protected from the harmful effects of misinformation.​ ...

    The European Commission dismissed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s claims that EU data laws promote censorship, asserting that the Digital Services Act only requires platforms to remove illegal or harmful content, not lawful posts.

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