Zuckerberg 'threatening democracy' with Meta's removal of fact checking

James Cox

Meta's decision to remove fact checkers with moderation by s is "dangerous and disingenuous", according to a group that works to counter hate and disinformation.

The Hope and Courage Collective is a national civil society organisation that works with community groups, advocacy groups, trade unions, activists and academics to "stop hate organising in our communities and workplaces".

The move, announced by Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg, has been widely criticised by anti-disinformation advocates.

In a statement, the The Hope and Courage Collective said: "Already Meta fuels misinformation, hate and violence but now Zuckerberg is firmly aligning himself with a dangerous authoritarian regime. Hope and Courage Collective has been highlighting how social media platforms recommend hateful, false and violent content, finding that toxic algorithms limit freedom of expression and engagement by dictating what s see.

"While many see these platforms as digital town squares, where ideas are debated on equal , the reality is that they are private profit driven entities who amplify hateful voices."

Edel McGinley, Hope and Courage Collective executive director, said: "Algorithms take people down the river of hate, leaving truth and comion to catch up.

"Facebook removing fact-checking and allowing lies to spread unchallenged poses a direct threat to our communities. This move will limit the space where democratic ideals like freedom of expression, truth-telling and safety can exist online.

"We need to view social media as the Tobacco Industries of our time, a huge industry which fights regulation and covers up harm in order to protect profits. It was brave political leadership that protected the public then and we need brave political leadership to protect us now.

"We can’t leave digital infrastructure in the hands of billionaire monopolists. Asking companies to do the right thing will never work - we need democratic regulation."

Ms McGinley added: "In the next programme for the government, it's time to turn off the toxic engagement-based recommender systems by default. Already, elected representatives are proposing protecting children and young people from digital harm. This is a good first step, and shows a recognition that these platforms can be dangerous if not properly regulated. But we need to do more, to protect everyone in our communities from the harms profit-driven algorithms can cause.

"No matter who we are, where we come from or how we identify we all deserve to have safe online spaces and communities where we all can flourish, no exceptions. We now more than ever need brave political leadership to take on Musk, Zuckerberg and their ilk, who threaten democracy and harm our communities for their own greed."