No fact-checks, DEI or tampons in men’s bathrooms: Meta’s policy overhaul wrap

META CEO MARK ZUCKERBERG HAS BEEN ON A MISSION SINCE TRUMP WON THE ELECTION – MAKING MAJOR CHANGES IN POLICY THIS WEEK THAT ARE MORE IN LINE WITH CONSERVATIVE VALUES –

LIKE ROLLING BACK ITS CONTENT MODERATION, NIXING FACT-CHECKING, REMOVING TAMPONS FROM MEN’S BATHROOMS IN META FACILITIES, AND PUTTING AN END TO ITS DEI PROGRAMS.

ZUCKERBERG TOLD JOE ROGAN FRIDAY – THE RECENT SWEEPING CHANGES ARE NOT TO APPEASE TRUMP – 

BUT HE SAYS THE RESULTS OF THE 2024 ELECTION INFLUENCED HIS DECISION TO PULL THE TRIGGER.

“There’s no good time to do it, you know, no matter what time. The good thing about doing it after the election is you get to take this kind of cultural pulse as like okay where are people right now and how are people thinking about it? We try to have policies that reflect mainstream discourse. This is something i’ve been thinking about for awhile. I think this is going to be pretty durable.”

IN A POST-ELECTION WORLD –

ZUCKERBERG HAS MET WITH TRUMP ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS – MAKING VISITS TO MAR-A-LAGO IN NOVEMBER AND BACK OUT AT TRUMP’S FLORIDA MANSION FRIDAY FOLLOWING HIS THREE-HOUR ROGAN INTERVIEW ACCORDING TO FOUR PEOPLE WHO SPOKE WITH THE NEW YORK TIMES.

THESE TALKS WITH TRUMP – PARTNERED WITH A MILLION DOLLAR DONATION HE MADE TO TRUMP’S INAUGURAL FUND LAST MONTH – HAS LED TO SPECULATION OVER ZUCKERBERG’S MOTIVES.

THE TIMES SPOKE WITH PEOPLE CLOSE TO ZUCKERBERG OVER THE RECENT CHANGES.

THE TIMES WROTE IN ITS REPORT –

“In interviews, more than a dozen current and former Meta employees, executives and advisers to Mr. Zuckerberg described his shift as serving a dual purpose. It positions Meta for the political landscape of the moment, with conservative power ascendant in Washington as Mr. Trump takes office on Jan. 20. More than that, the changes reflect Mr. Zuckerberg’s personal views of how his $1.5 trillion company should be run — and he no longer wants to keep those views quiet.”

THOSE EMPLOYEES SAY ZUCKERBERG HEADED THE CHARGE ON META’S RECENT CHANGES – AND KEPT THE INFORMATION WITHIN A SMALL CIRCLE – WITH MOST EMPLOYEES FINDING OUT ABOUT THE CHANGES WHEN THE PUBLIC DID – THIS WEEK.

THE CHANGES LARGELY TRIGGERED CHEERS FROM THE RIGHT AND CAUTION FROM THE LEFT.

CHANGES INCLUDE A ROLLBACK ON CONTENT MODERATION – OPENING UP DISCUSSION ON SENSITIVE POLITICAL ISSUES.

META DISMANTLED ITS FACT-CHECKING PROGRAM – OPTING INSTEAD TO RELY ON USERS TO FLAG POSTS THEY FEEL IS “MISINFORMATION.”

THE COMPANY WILL ALSO ALLOW FOR MORE POLITICAL CONTENT IN USERS FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM FEEDS – CONTENT THE COMPANY PREVIOUSLY SUPPRESSED.

IN ADDITION TO CHANGES IN ONLINE SPEECH –

META ENDED ITS DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION INITIATIVES –

ELIMINATING ITS “CHIEF DIVERSITY OFFICER” POSITION AND REMOVING DIVERSITY HIRING GOALS.

TRANSGENDER AND NONBINARY “THEMES” ON ITS MESSENGER CHAT APP WERE ALSO REMOVED.

AND THE TIMES REPORTED FACILITY MANAGERS IN SILICON VALLEY, TEXAS AND NEW YORK WERE TOLD THIS WEEK TO REMOVE TAMPONS FROM MEN’S BATHROOMS.

FROM WITHIN META – WITH OVER 72 THOUSAND EMPLOYEES –

REACTIONS TO THE RECENT CHANGES HAVE BEEN DIVIDED AS REPORTED BY THE TIMES WHO SPOKE WITH INSIDERS.

THE INTERNAL DIVIDE MIRRORS THE BROADER POLITICAL LANDSCAPE –

CONSERVATIVES LARGELY TOUTING THE DECISIONS AS A RESTORATION OF FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS  –

WHILE LIBERALS ARE LARGELY VOICING CAUTION OVER POTENTIAL LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES.

META’S WHIRLWIND OF A WEEK – CAPTIVATING THE ATTENTION OF BOTH SIDES OF THE POLITICAL SPECTRUM.

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