Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has announced recent changes to its content moderation policies. This has sparked criticism over the likelihood that this change will legitimise hate speech towards many minority groups including LGBTQ+ individuals.

The updated ‘Hateful Conduct’ policy explicitly allows allegations of mental illness or abnormality tied to gender identity or sexual orientation, as well as religiously motivated arguments for gender and sexuality-based exclusions in professions like teaching and law enforcement. The updated guidelines also remove restrictions on discussing issues that were previously flagged as offensive.

These allowances, many claim, mark a dangerous step backwards for inclusivity and safety on digital platforms. It is being argued that the new policies risk normalising discriminatory language and amplifying harmful ideologies under the guise of promoting political and religious dialogue. 

 

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The changes, revealed by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, also include the end of Meta’s third-party fact-checking programme. Zuckerberg described the company’s prior restrictions as “out of touch with mainstream discourse” and emphasised Meta’s focus on defending free expression.

This decision has also drawn criticism. Previously, the programme relied on more than 90 organisations globally, certified by the International Fact-Checking Network, to address misinformation in over 60 languages. In its place, Meta plans to implement a ‘Community Notes’ model that relies on users to flag problematic content and will focus enforcement efforts on illegal or “high-severity” violations.  

Zuckerberg also outlined a shift in the company’s approach to political content, lifting prior restrictions and allowing users to customise the prominence of political posts in their feeds.

While Meta frames these updates as a return to free expression, critics including GLAAD (the US Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) warn they open the door for hate speech and misinformation.

Commenting on these changes CEO and president of GLAAD, Sarah Kate Ellis, said “Meta is giving the green light for people to target LGBTQ people, women, immigrants, and other marginalised groups with violence, vitriol, and dehumanising narratives.”