Meta executive admits to over-moderating COVID-19, election content

[Karah Rucker]

IS META MODERATING ITS CONTENT TOO MUCH?

A TOP EXECUTIVE AT THE COMPANY NOW SHARING REGRETS OVER REMOVING POSTS ABOUT THE PANDEMIC. 

META’S PRESIDENT OF GLOBAL AFFAIRS NICK CLEGG ADMITS THEY’VE WRONGFULLY TAKEN DOWN POSTS ACROSS THEIR APPS … POINTING TO THE HEIGHT OF COVID-19 TELLING REPORTERS MONDAY …

“NO ONE DURING THE PANDEMIC KNEW HOW THE PANDEMIC WAS GOING TO UNFOLD, SO THIS REALLY IS WISDOM IN HINDSIGHT. BUT WITH THAT HINDSIGHT WE FEEL THAT WE OVERDID IT A BIT.” 

C-E-O MARK ZUCKERBERG TOLD THE HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE IN AUGUST, THE COMPANY’S CONTENT RULES DURING THE PANDEMIC WERE INFLUENCED BY PRESSURE FROM THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION.

META AND OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES FACE INCREASING PRESSURE TO IMPROVE THE SAFETY OF THEIR PLATFORMS AMID HATEFUL OR MISLEADING INFORMATION, WHILE ALSO MAKING SURE USERS HAVE FREE SPEECH ONLINE.  

THE MODERATION IMPACTED POLITICAL POSTS AS WELL … WITH META RECENTLY APOLOGIZING AFTER ITS SYSTEMS SUPPRESSED PHOTOS OF PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP AFTER HIS ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION. 

CLEGG COMMENTED ON META’S ELECTION CONTENT IN A BLOG POST TUESDAY 

SAYING …

“TOO OFTEN HARMLESS CONTENT GETS TAKEN DOWN OR RESTRICTED AND TOO MANY PEOPLE GET PENALIZED UNFAIRLY.“ 

HE ADDED THE COMPANY HAS WORKED THROUGHOUT THE PAST YEAR TO UPDATE CONTENT POLICIES FAIRLY … NOTING THAT NO PLATFORM WILL EVER STRIKE THIS BALANCE “100 PERCENT OF THE TIME.” 

FOR SAN – I’M KARAH RUCKER.

FOR ALL YOUR LATEST NEWS HEADLINES – DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP TODAY.