The row over censorship policies at Meta has taken centre stage in a high-profile inquiry into the platform's handling of antisemitic content. Critics claim that a January 2025 policy shift aimed at reducing 'censorship' inadvertently created an environment where hate speech, including antisemitism, has been allowed to flourish.
The policy adjustment followed Donald Trump's re-election in the US and involved scaling back fact-checkers while focusing on tackling severe violations. Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged this would lead to fewer instances of innocent posts being removed, but also potentially allow more 'bad stuff' to go unchecked. The decision was framed as a 'trade-off', with Meta prioritising proactive measures against illegal content over preserving a safe and respectful online environment.
Internal documents seen by the commission suggest that Meta's policy shift has had far-reaching consequences, with a 79% drop in hateful conduct actions being taken against users. Counsel assisting Richard Lancaster described this decline as 'alarming', and argued that it is 'entirely unrealistic' to believe content moderators' operations remained unaffected by the policy change.
Benjamin Good, Meta's global director of core policy, maintained that while removing hateful content before it appears online is the 'gold standard', doing so carries the risk of over-enforcement. This, he claimed, could lead to legitimate content being inadvertently removed, including posts from Jewish communities speaking out against atrocities.
Good also highlighted Meta's efforts to tackle conspiracy theories and anti-Jewish hate speech on its platforms. However, Commissioner Virginia Bell pressed for a 'plausible explanation' for the significant drop in hateful conduct actions taken by the company, beyond the policy change. Good acknowledged that the situation is complex, but was unable to confirm whether the decline was solely linked to policy alterations.