Some media reports suggest that Meta’s new policies are prompting boycotts and a potential mass exodus from Facebook and Instagram. Other reports claim Meta’s recent decisions have caused Google searches for “delete Facebook” to soar.
NBC News: “Meta’s pivot to the right sparks boycotts and calls for a user exodus.”
Forbes: “Meta Decision Sends Searches To Delete Facebook Soaring.”
Both reports, however, have limitations in their data. The report about users searching “how to delete Facebook” relies on Google Trends data, which does not provide actual search volume numbers . As a result, it’s unclear how many people searched for ways to delete their Facebook accounts.
NBC News’ report, citing users calling for a boycott, is based on a review of what NBC News described as “hundreds of posts and comments.” This sample size is small compared to Meta’s more than 3 billion active users .
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg responded to the idea that people might leave over the company’s new policies in a message on Instagram’s Threads app.
“I’m counting on these changes actually making our platforms better,” Zuckerberg said. “I think Community Notes will be more effective than fact-checkers, reducing the number of people whose accounts get mistakenly banned is good, people want to be able to discuss civic topics and make arguments that are in the mainstream of political discourse, etc. Some people may leave our platforms for virtue signaling, but I think the vast majority and many new users will find that these changes make the products better.”
Zuckerberg’s recent policy changes at Meta have also raised questions from other countries about whether the changes, already implemented in the U.S., will soon be applied elsewhere.
The changes include ending fact-checking in favor of allowing users to add Community Notes to posts and loosening restrictions on certain topics, such as gender and sexual identity, which were previously not allowed for discussion on Facebook or Instagram.
Conservatives have praised these changes as a way to reduce regulations on free speech. However, some on the political left have criticized the changes, warning that they could lead to the spread of disinformation.
In Brazil, where the government is currently led by President Lula da Silva, officials have asked Meta if its newly announced policies will apply to the country. Meta responded that fact-checking will only be phased out in the U.S. for now , as the company tests its Community Notes system.
Meta also confirmed that looser restrictions on controversial topics, like debates on sexual identities, will apply in Brazil to allow for “broader conversation on topics that are part of current discussions in society.”
Brazil’s attorney general and other officials, upset over Meta’s decisions, have scheduled a hearing to discuss their next steps and whether the new policy violates the country’s human rights laws. Brazilian Communications Minister Sidonio Palmeira has said Meta’s new measures “violate fundamental rights and national sovereignty, promoting a digital Wild West.”
Zuckerberg has defended his decisions, arguing that the company’s fact-checkers were politically biased and led to excessive censorship. He also stated that Meta will continue to remove threats and content that incites violence.
The date of Brazil’s hearing has not yet been announced.
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This article was originally published by a www.newsbreak.com . Read the Original article here. .