Right-wingers on Truth Social are not impressed with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s shake-ups at Facebook, which include replacing third-party fact-checking with community responses (à la Elon Musk’s X platform) and adding UFC CEO and Trump ally Dana White to Meta’s board.
In a video announcing the content review changes on Tuesday, Zuckerberg called the third-party fact-checkers “too politically biased” and announced that Meta would remove a number of restrictions on hot-button topics such as immigration and gender.
He also shared that Meta would work with President-elect Donald Trump to push against other governments’ policies restricting free speech online and would move its trust and safety teams from California to Texas, so they’d be “in places where there is less concern about the bias” of the team.
“We’ve reached a point where it’s just too many mistakes and too much censorship,” Zuckerberg said. “The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point toward once again prioritizing speech. So we’re going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies, and restoring free expression on our platforms.”
Zuckerberg’s changes, which were deemed by some commentators as part of an effort to “curry favor with MAGA,” came just weeks after Meta made a $1 million donation to Trump’s inauguration fund.
But some of Trump’s most loyal fans are far from ready to change their tune on the tech CEO.
“I don’t care what Zuckerberg sounds like now. He banned President Trump,” one person blasted, referencing Meta’s decision to suspend Trump’s accounts in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. “He censored the Hunter Biden laptop story. He spent $400 million to swing the election to the Alzheimer’s patient. He censored us on the 2020 election. And he censored us on Covid.”
“‘Replacing third-party fact-check programs’ will change nothing,” the user continued. “‘Lifting restrictions on certain topics’ will change nothing ‘Refocusing automated systems’ will change nothing. ‘Removing the reduction of political content’ will change nothing Because fascists still work within that company. And a fascist leopard can’t change its spots. Trump can forgive, I can’t.”
On Truth Social, Zuckerberg’s critics were equally dubious about the various policy reversals.
“Never forgive and I’ll never go back,” one person said, before echoing criticisms of Meta restricting right-wing conspiracy theories about COVID and the 2020 election being stolen. “I’ve been kicked off Fakebook for all that and then some. ALL TRUTHS. NEVER GOING BACK.”
“trying to bullshit his way out,” concluded another person.
“Mark Zuckerberg is a 2 faced lying globalist,” ripped one poster.
Someone else surmised that the changes would last “for 4 years and then it will be back to business as usual.”
“If you fall for this BS..You might be a libtard,” jabbed another Truth Social poster.
“Wow, Zuckerberg pretends to flip 180 degrees to stay out of prison,” swiped someone else.
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