Meta sparks outrage with new U.S. content moderation rules
The internet has been buzzing about the changes implemented by Meta in the United States regarding how moderators assess content. The company now permits calling LGBT+ individuals "mentally ill." The new guidelines have sparked major controversy.
On Tuesday, December 7, Meta announced updates to its moderation policies, sparking widespread criticism from internet users, activists, and organizations supporting queer communities. The revised guidelines permit millions of U.S. social media users to make claims of mental illness against others based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. In a public statement, the company acknowledged allowing such accusations tied to gender or sexual orientation.
Meta introduces controversial changes
While the company's new guidelines still prohibit insulting someone's intellect or accusing them of mental illness on Facebook, Instagram, or Threads, the revised rules do not protect against such comments directed at, for example, the LGBT+ community.
The changes also involve removing the rules prohibiting appearance insults based on race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, religion, caste, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and serious illness. Meta has also withdrawn rules that prohibited users of their apps from referring to transgender or non-binary people with the pronoun "it."
A storm erupted on the internet
Many internet users are heavily criticizing the changes made by Meta in the United States. Even Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of the American organization GLAAD, which advocates for LGBT+ rights, joined the discussion: "Without these necessary hate speech and other policies, Meta is giving the green light for people to target LGBTQ people, women, immigrants, and other marginalized groups with violence, vitriol, and dehumanizing narratives. With these changes, Meta is continuing to normalize anti-LGBTQ hatred for profit — at the expense of its users and true freedom of expression. Fact-checking and hate speech policies protect free speech."
