CEO

Meta’s blog post said it would also roll back the expanded mission of rules and policies, highlighting the removal of restrictions on subjects including immigration, gender and gender identity.

These changes come as technology companies and their executives prepare for the inauguration of US President Donald Trump on January 20, 2025.

Trump has previously been vocal in his criticism of Meta and its approach to content moderation, calling Facebook “the enemy of the people” in March 2024.

But relations between the two later improved. Zuckerberg dined at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in November. Meta also contributed USD 1 million to the presidential inauguration fund.

“The recent election also feels like a turning point in prioritizing free speech,” Zuckerberg said in a video.

Nick Clegg’s replacement by Joel Kaplan as Meta’s Head of Global Affairs was also interpreted as a signal of a change in the company’s approach to moderation and a change in its political priorities.

Kate Klonick, a law professor at St. John’s University Law School, said the changes reflect a trend that has seemed inevitable over the past few years, especially since Elon Musk’s takeover of X.

“The private governance of speech on these platforms is increasingly becoming a political point,” he told BBC News.

“While companies previously faced pressure to build trust and security mechanisms to address issues such as harassment, hate speech and disinformation, a radical shift in the opposite direction is now underway,” Klonick concluded.