Meta’s decision to end factchecking on its platforms including Facebook and Instagram will create a “free-for-all on misinformation, disinformation, abuse and trolling”, the Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young has warned.
The company’s billionaire founder, Mark Zuckerberg, said it was “time to get back to our roots around free expression” as he announced that the platforms’ factchecking program would be replaced with X-style “community notes”, a feature that allows users to add context to posts.
More political content will be pushed on to the platforms while certain restrictions will be removed for subjects including immigration and gender, under changes announced by the tech billionaire.
The overhaul comes just days out from the inauguration of the US president-elect, Donald Trump, with whom Zuckerberg has vowed to work to fight foreign governments attempting to censor online content.
Elon Musk, the owner of X, is already part of Trump’s inner circle.
“The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point towards, once again, prioritising speech,” Zuckerberg said in a video posted to social media.
“So, we’re going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies and restoring free expression on our platforms.”
Hanson-Young, the Greens’ communications spokesperson, said the changes were “very dangerous”.
“It’s going to mean a free-for-all on misinformation, disinformation, abuse and trolling,” she told ABC’s RN Breakfast.
“I think this is a very, very dangerous move at a time when members of the community, parents, young people, women in particular, are increasingly concerned of the unsafe environment on these big platforms.”
Australia is already in the crosshairs of Zuckerberg and Musk after it passed world-first legislation to ban under-16s from accessing their platforms.
The federal government is also introducing a new scheme to force digital platforms, including Meta, to pay publishers for Australian news.
Speaking on Wednesday, the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, signalled that the federal government would stand firm against any potential blowback from Trump to its social media crackdown.
“The social media ban is an Australian policy in the interests of young Australians, Australian families,” he told ABC News Breakfast.
“And we say to Australian parents: we’ve got your back.
“We’ve listened, we’ve engaged with you on this. This is a sensible reform that has passed the parliament and is now Australian law.”
