META CEO Mark Zuckerberg's announcement to toss out fact-checkers and prioritise 'free speech' sparked condemnation from critics, who called it a "major step back" for public discourse. 

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Zuckerberg announced on Tuesday (Jan 7) that the company will be making some changes to its moderation policies and practices, citing its aim to embrace free speech. 

The company will be altering the way posts, videos, and other content are moderated online. It will be getting rid of fact-checkers and will replace them with user-generated "community notes", which is similar to Elon Musk's X. 

Also read: Meta to toss out factcheckers to reduce censorship, restore 'free expression'

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Moreover, content moderation teams would also be moved from California to Texas “where there is less concern about the bias of our teams”, said Zuckerberg in a five-minute video statement. 

'Bending of knee to Trump'

Nina Jankowicz, a former US government official tasked with fighting disinformation, described Zuckerberg's move as a "full bending of the knee to Trump."

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"Facebook has already contributed to the demise of journalism and this will be the final nail in the coffin," she added.

Also read: Meta denies taking down its AI-powered chatbots from Instagram and Facebook

Zuckerberg cited that the fact-checkers were "too politically biased". 

Later in the day, Trump said the changes were "probably" in response to his warnings and added, "think they’ve come a long way, Meta, Facebook.”

Also read: Meta donates $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund

'Blatant attempt'

Global Witness, a human rights group, said, “Zuckerberg’s announcement is a blatant attempt to cosy up to the incoming Trump administration, with harmful implications." 

"These changes will make it more dangerous for women, LGBT+ people, people of colour, scientists, and activists to speak out online, where they already face disproportionate harassment and attacks," it added.

The Centre for Information Resilience warned it was a "major step back for content moderation at a time when disinformation and harmful content are evolving faster than ever." 

Also read: After Meta, Amazon to donate $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund

'Disappointing'

Chris Morris, chief executive of Full Fact, said Meta's decision to end its partnership with fact-checkers in the US is "disappointing" and a backward step that risks a chilling effect around the world. 

“From safeguarding elections to protecting public health to dissipating potential unrest on the streets, fact-checkers are first responders in the information environment," Morris said. 

(With inputs from agencies)