Rantz: The troubling reality with about-face by Meta, Zuckerberg on free speech

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is finally getting serious about free speech on his social media platforms. He said he’s relaxing policies and programs that have led to censorship. But there’s a massive problem with the sudden about-face.

Like other tech companies, Meta and Zuckerberg appear to have done an about-face. The platform that previously suspended President-elect Donald Trump said it’s ending its third-party fact-checking program. In its place, Meta will institute community notes on Facebook, a model similar to the one on rival X. The platform that stopped conservative political content from reaching the masses will now remove restrictions on subjects like immigration and gender identity. The restrictions were implemented to acquiesce the Radical Left, who were hellbent on silencing anyone who got in the way of their radical ideas.

Zuckerberg said the changes were inspired by the recent presidential election. He called it “a cultural tipping point towards once again prioritizing speech.” In other words, elections have consequences.

But will Zuckerberg’s embrace of free speech continue in four years?

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Did Mark Zuckerberg embrace free speech just to appease Donald Trump?

There are some who argue Mark Zuckerberg and other tech leaders are only trying to curry favor with Trump. So what? If the end result means more access to content, an embrace of free speech and a rejection of left-wing bullies, it should be embraced, even if it’s just to please Trump.

But therein lies the problem. If he’s trying to please Trump by providing more access to information, wouldn’t he try to please the next president who may hold anti-speech views like the Biden administration?

It’s not clear if Zuckerberg truly values the principles of free speech and access to information, or if he’s only holding that position because it’ll please Trump. Would he have made these reforms to support speech if there wasn’t a “cultural tipping point?”

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How long will this last?

If Mark Zuckerberg had an epiphany and now truly supports more speech, not more censorship, then users should have nothing to worry about. But it shouldn’t be up to users to hope he upholds these newly-found values.

Social media, from Facebook and Instagram to X and YouTube, has become the new town square. It’s how people engage in dialogue and monologue. It’s how ideas are shared, debated, embraced or criticized. Social media is incredibly powerful in shaping public opinion.

Zuckerberg shouldn’t have had to wait for a “cultural tipping point” to embrace a basic concept of allowing speech that his left-wing employees disagree with. The reach of conservative content should never have been stymied to begin with. And making basic statements like there are only two genders should never have been deemed too controversial for the platform.

Zuckerberg should state his position clearly and repeatedly and take a stance that no matter who occupies the White House, he’ll always stand on the side of more speech, not less.

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