Re: some of the sh*t you can now say on Facebook

 From the «Zuck is a pedophile pigfucker pro-Nazi autist fucktard (test)» department:
Title: Here are some of the horrible things that you can now say on Instagram and Facebook
Author: Richard Lawler
Date: Tue, 07 Jan 2025 23:58:37 +0000
Link: https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/7/24338471/meta-hate-speech-hateful-conduct-policy-moderation
 [image 1]Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge
 Meta overhauled its approach to US moderation on Tuesday, ditching
fact-checking[2], announcing a plan to move its trust and safety teams[3], and
perhaps most impactfully, updating its Hateful Conduct policy[4]. As reported
by Wired[5], a lot of text has been updated, added, or removed, but here are
some of the changes that jumped out at us.
 These two sections outlining speech (written or visual) are new additions:
 We do allow allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender
or sexual orientation, given political and religious discourse about
transgenderism and homosexuality and common non-serious usage of words like
“weird.”
 We do allow content arguing for gender-based limitations of military, law
enforcement, and teaching jobs. We also allow the same content based on
sexual orientation, when the content is based on religious beliefs.
 Another section that specifically banned making dehumanizing references to
transgender or non-binary people as “it” or referring to women “as household
objects or property or objects in general” has been removed entirely.
 The opening statement about what the policies are “designed to allow room for”
that previously listed only health or positive support groups has changed too
(new additions marked in bold):
 People sometimes use sex- or gender-exclusive language when discussing access
to spaces often limited by sex or gender, such as access to bathrooms,
specific schools, specific military, law enforcement, or teaching roles, and
health or support groups. Other times, they call for exclusion or use
insulting language in the context of discussing political or religious
topics, such as when discussing transgender rights, immigration, or
homosexuality. Finally, sometimes people curse at a gender in the context of
a romantic break-up. Our policies are designed to allow room for these types
of speech.
 The section that specifically banned targeting people or groups “with claims
that they have or spread the novel coronavirus” has also been removed.
 A link to this 2017 blog post[6] about the “hard questions” Meta faces dealing
with hate speech has been removed, and some references to hate speech are now
changed to “hateful conduct.”
 The policy still says that content about denying access to spaces and social
services “on the basis of their protected characteristics” is not allowed, but
there’s also a new exception (the added text is in bold):
 ...except for sex or gender-based exclusion from spaces commonly limited by
sex or gender, such as restrooms, sports and sports leagues, health and
support groups, and specific schools
 Even before these changes, the LGBTQ+ media advocacy group GLAAD reported last
year[7] that Meta often failed to remove posts violating its hate speech
policies. Now, even those guardrails that had been established to protect
people from internet harassment are disappearing.
 “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.” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah
Kate Ellis in a statement responding to the changes.
 A note from Meta’s new policy chief Joel Kaplan[8]said[9], “We’re getting rid
of a number of restrictions on topics like immigration, gender identity and
gender that are the subject of frequent political discourse and debate. It’s
not right that things can be said on TV or the floor of Congress, but not on
our platforms.” Wired[10]also reports that the changes “blindsided”
organizations that have been partnering with Meta on its now-discarded
moderation efforts, with one unnamed editor at a fact-checking organization
saying the effect of the decision “is going to eventually drain us out.”
 Links:
[1]: https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/A718YTWgHqtZEJx29-ZVseO7znM=/0x0%3A2040x1360/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73833550/STK043_META_CVIRGINIA_D.0.jpg (image)
[2]: https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/7/24338062/facebook-instagram-threads-meta-abandon-fact-checking (link)
[3]: https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/7/24338305/meta-mark-zuckerberg-moving-meta-moderators-texas-california-bias (link)
[4]: https://transparency.meta.com/policies/community-standards/hateful-conduct/ (link)
[5]: https://www.wired.com/story/meta-immigration-gender-policies-change/ (link)
[6]: https://about.fb.com/news/2017/06/hard-questions-hate-speech/ (link)
[7]: https://www.theverge.com/2024/3/27/24113755/meta-anti-trans-hate-speech-glaad-instagram-facebook-threads (link)
[8]: https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/2/24334432/meta-trump-friendly-policy-chief-joel-kaplan-nick-clegg (link)
[9]: https://about.fb.com/news/2025/01/meta-more-speech-fewer-mistakes/ (link)
[10]: https://www.wired.com/story/metas-fact-checking-partners-blindsided/ (link)