Some operate by convictions, others by interests. Mark Zuckerberg, whose agenda changes according to the inaugurations, falls into this second category. He, who rewarded Trump with a nice check for a million dollars to finance his inauguration ceremony.
It’s practically the end of the era of moderation and fact-checking on Meta in the USA. ©Belga Images
At this stage, it was limited to a symbolic register. Until this shock announcement from the boss of Meta, which seems almost anachronistic for us Europeans. “We are going to get rid of fact-checkers and replace them with community notes, similar to [celles disponibles sur le réseau] X, starting with the United States.” Charming.
Moderate moderators?
Concretely, users moderate each other. Everyone is free to annotate a publication that they consider incorrect by providing a reliable source. You only need to consult the passionate debates which occupy the comments sections of the articles to understand the absurdity of this system which is not subject to any professional supervision.
Worse still, Meta announces “end a number of limits on topics, such as immigration and gender, that are no longer in mainstream discourse”explains Mark Zuckerberg, for whom “the recent elections seem to be a cultural tipping point giving (…) priority to freedom of expression”. In the crosshairs, what some call wokism, to which others prefer the notion of progressivism.
Cultural struggle
And the moderators are also asked to move from Silicon Valley to their new offices located in Texas. Mark Zuckerberg has the merit of being consistent. At this stage, it is surprising that he is not yet wearing a red “MAGA” cap.
-However, the latter is not (for the moment) playing around with European regulations, unlike his competitor Elon Musk. Indeed, these changes will only be deployed in the United States. Where X has not hesitated to opt for the same versions across the Atlantic and in the European Union, where anything goes.
The EU put to the test
An operation which could be qualified as an infringement of the DSA, the regulation which regulates online platforms and search engines. X is ordered to respond to the European Commission’s accusations and, if it cannot prove its innocence, to immediately comply with the DSA. Otherwise what? The text provides for a fine of up to 6% of the social network’s global turnover, or several billion dollars.
Let us hope that the European regulation proves its worth, if we want to prevent this Muskian epidemic from spreading. If you are hesitant to leave X, the Bluesky social network is an alternative that has already convinced many public figures and media around the world.
Belgium
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