By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Meta platforms on a smart phone screen.
The tech giant has rolled back many content moderation policies.
Meta has dismantled many of the tools it once used to curb misinformation on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, raising alarms about the safety of its platforms for marginalized communities, including LGBTQ+ people. According to Platformer, the company ended partnerships with fact-checking organizations and disabled machine-learning systems that reduced the spread of false information by more than ninety percent. These changes leave the platform vulnerable to the unchecked circulation of harmful content.
Keep up with the latest in LGBTQ+ news and politics. Sign up for The Advocate's email newsletter.
The policy overhaul coincides with broader changes to Meta’s content moderation strategy. The company has relaxed its enforcement of hate speech policies, now allowing dehumanizing language targeting LGBTQ+ individuals, immigrants, and women as long as it is framed as political or religious discourse. Claims delegitimizing transgender identities—such as calling trans people “it” or asserting that being transgender is a mental illness—are now explicitly permitted under the new guidelines.
Last week, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also announced that it will replace professional fact-checkers with a “Community Notes” system. The new feature relies on users to provide additional context to flagged posts, a method critics argue is prone to manipulation and far less effective at curbing misinformation. Meanwhile, posts flagged as potentially false will no longer face immediate demotion, granting them a window to gain visibility and spread unchecked.
Related: What LGBTQ+ people should know about Meta’s new rules
This shift reverses years of progress Meta made in combating disinformation, particularly following the 2016 U.S. presidential election when viral hoaxes like Pizzagate and false political endorsements flooded the platform. According to Platformer, at its peak, Meta’s systems successfully limited the reach of misinformation and labeled misleading posts, with studies showing that 95 percent of users chose not to engage with flagged content.
Related: Mark Zuckerberg continues MAGA metamorphosis on Joe Rogan’s podcast
LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations have already raised concerns about the company’s role in amplifying hate speech and misinformation, warning that such rhetoric fosters offline harm and violence.
