Meta announced a series of major updates to its content moderation policies today, including ending its fact-checking partnerships and “getting rid” of restrictions on speech about “topics like immigration, gender identity and gender” that the company describes as frequent subjects of political discourse and debate. “It’s not right that things can be said on TV or the floor of Congress, but not on our platforms,” Meta’s newly appointed chief global affairs officer, Joel Kaplan, wrote in a blog post outlining the changes.

In an accompanying video, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg described the company’s current rules in these areas as “just out of touch with mainstream discourse.”

In tandem with this announcement, the company made a number of updates across its Community Guidelines, an extensive set of rules that outline what kinds of content are prohibited on Meta’s platforms, including Instagram, Threads, and Facebook. Some of the most striking changes were made to Meta’s “Hateful Conduct” policy, which covers discussions on immigration and gender.

In a notable shift, the company now says it allows “allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about transgenderism and homosexuality and common non-serious usage of words like ‘weird.’”

In other words, Meta now appears to permit users to accuse transgender or gay people of being mentally ill because of their gender expression and sexual orientation. The company did not respond to requests for clarification on the policy.

  • spujb@lemmy.cafe
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    3 days ago

    the company now says it allows “allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation

    “trans people disproportionately face mental health concerns including depression and anxiety” ✅ OK in my book

    “you are trans, so you are mentally ill” ❌ reductive, hateful, and a flat out lie, but approved by Meta now apparently

    • rabber
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      3 days ago

      Isn’t that the same thing just said nicely vs not nicely

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        It is only the same thing if you are under the mistaken belief that all trans people are mentally ill. Is that what you believe?

        • rabber
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          3 days ago

          No but I believe a higher percentage of trans people are mentally ill than non trans people.

            • rabber
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              2 days ago

              Because there has been clear and consistent data on this

                • rabber
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                  2 days ago

                  Linking you the top google result would be boring. It would be more fun I think if you could find a source claiming the opposite.