Top Meta official blasts CEO Mark Zuckerberg for buckling to political pressure by scrapping censorship as advertisers express concern
A top Meta official blasted CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to discontinue fact-checking on Facebook, Instagram and Threads — saying the social media mogul was “buckling to political pressure” ahead of President-elect Donald Trump taking office.The comments from Michael McConnell, the co-chair of Meta’s Oversight Board, comes as Zuckerberg’s abrupt pivot to loosen content moderation policies and do away with censorship has sparked unease among advertisers who fear a resurgence of harmful content and misinformation.McConnell expressed dismay at the decision, describing it as a potential concession to partisanship.“I would have liked to have seen these reforms laid out in less contentious and partisan times, so that they would be considered on the merits,” McConnell told National Public Radio on Friday.
He warned that the move might be perceived as Meta “buckling to political pressure” — a reference to Zuckerberg’s efforts to ingratiate himself with Trump.His comments echoed those made by Meta employees on the company’s internal chat board.Several other tech titans such as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai have sought Trump’s ear in recent weeks he prepares to take the oath of office next Monday.According to McConnell, neither he nor the board was informed about the policy shift ahead of time.However, sources familiar with the matter told The New York Times that Meta executives allegedly briefed officials from Trump’s camp prior to the public announcement.The Post has sought comment from Meta.The oversight board, which was established in May 2020, is a blue-ribbon, quasi-independent panel comprised of experts in law, human rights, journalism, and technology who review decisions on content removal and make policy recommendations pertaining to moderation of certain content.Meanwhile, the decision to end the platform’s fact-checking program and scale back hate speech restrictions is raising questi...