'We absolutely refute...': EU rejects Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg's censorship claim

The European Union (EU) said on Wednesday (Jan 8) that it rejected Meta Chief Mark Zuckerberg's charge that the bloc engaged in censorship with its tech regulations.

Addressing a press conference, European Commission Chief Spokesperson Paula Pinho said, "We absolutely refute any claims of censorship on our side."

The European Commission is the EU's politically independent executive arm.

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Meta scraps its US fact-checking programme

The EU's remarks came a day after Meta scrapped its US fact-checking programme and reduced curbs on discussions around contentious topics such as immigration and gender identity.

"We're going to get rid of fact-checkers (that) have just been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they've created, especially in the US," Zuckerberg said in a post.

Zuckerberg also took a shot at the EU "that has an ever-increasing number of laws institutionalising censorship and making it difficult to build anything innovative there."

The remark referred to new laws in Europe that require Meta and other major platforms to maintain content moderation standards or risk hefty fines.

Meta's decision criticised by disinformation experts

Meta's decision to end its US fact-checking programme was criticised by disinformation experts.

Speaking to the news agency AFP, Ross Burley, co-founder of the nonprofit Centre for Information Resilience, said that Meta's decision was "a major step back for content moderation at a time when disinformation and harmful content are evolving faster than ever."

"While efforts to protect free expression are vital, removing fact-checking without a credible alternative risks opening the floodgates to more harmful narratives," Burley added.

(With inputs from agencies)