Mark Zuckerberg decided to lift Meta’s censorship policies after a Facebook post he authored in 2023 about a martial arts-related knee injury failed to go viral, according to a report.
In November 2023, the Meta CEO posted a photo of himself in a hospital bed after surgery to repair an anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee — an injury he suffered while training for a Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament.
“Torn my ACL sparring and just got out of surgery to replace it,” the CEO wrote in the Facebook post, managing a clenched fist with his bandaged and braced knee propped up and reaching for the camera.
I was training for a competitive MMA fight for early next year, but now that’s a bit delayed,” the 40-year-old tech mogul added. “I’m still looking forward to it after I recover. Thank you all for the love and support.”
To Zuckerberg’s dismay, the post attracted “anemic attention.” He investigated and learned that Facebook’s software engineers had modified the algorithm to limit the spread of health-related content because of fears it included false information, according to the Wall Street Journal.
An upset Zuckerberg demanded an investigation that “culminated in a full-scale review of the company’s algorithmic cuts” to determine whether it was a case of overreaching, the Journal reported.
The post has requested a comment from Meta.
Meta spokesman Andy Stone told the Journal that Zuckerberg’s shift toward free speech was based on his long-held beliefs and downplayed Zuckerberg’s contention for his post, according to the paper.
Zuckerberg announced Tuesday that Meta would end partnerships with third-party fact-checkers and create a “Community Notes” model similar to that of Elon Musk’s social media platform X.
The Facebook founder acknowledged that his tech company has engaged in “a lot of censorship” — alluding to the platform’s move to limit sharing of The Post’s coverage of the Hunter Biden laptop scandal as well as pressure from the Biden administration to crack down on Covid- related misinformation.
“We will return to our roots and focus on reducing errors, simplifying our policies and restoring free expression on our platforms,” Zuckerberg said in a video on Tuesday.
The move was met with concern and criticism from Meta employees, who complained that it would lead to rampant misinformation across Meta’s platforms, Facebook, Instagram and Threads.
The stunning upheaval would include moving Meta’s content moderation team from deep-blue California to right-leaning Texas in order to insulate the group from cultural biases — a move that looked like another page from Musk’s playbook .
Zuckerberg’s company announced last week that it would add Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White, a supporter of President-elect Donald Trump and two others to its board of directors.
Meta has also sought to reorient itself politically by appointing Joel Kaplan as head of global affairs. Kaplan, who once served as George W. Bush’s deputy chief of staff, replaced Nick Clegg, who once led the UK’s Liberal Democratic Party.
At a news conference hours after Zuckerberg posted the video on Tuesday, Trump praised the changes.
“I think they’ve come a long way, Meta,” Trump said.
When asked if he believed Zuckerberg made the changes in response to threats the incoming president has made, Trump replied, “Maybe.”
Meta is among several tech companies apparently working to get in Trump’s good graces before he takes office later this month.
Meta and Amazon each donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund in December, and Zuckerberg dined with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.
Amazon presented a documentary about first lady Melania Trump. Its founder, Jeff Bezos, blocked the editorial board of his newspaper, The Washington Post, from endorsing Trump’s opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, shortly before the election.
ABC News, which is owned by Disney, last month settled a defamation lawsuit filed by Trump with a $15 million payment to the Trump presidential library foundation.
By postal wire
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