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Improve Meta hate speech memo
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MattiSG authored Jan 9, 2025
2 parents 00ec433 + a47765d commit 60b367a
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8 changes: 5 additions & 3 deletions content/memos/meta-dampens-hate-speech-policy.md
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Expand Up @@ -12,11 +12,11 @@ Meta [rewrote](https://github.com/OpenTermsArchive/pga-versions/commit/a90e9d276

Most of all, this rewrite adds some clear permissions:

> - **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 ([line 1346](https://github.com/OpenTermsArchive/pga-versions/commit/a90e9d276cda1ca23878fd2b2df7cc066d549c20#diff-dd1aecfa753374588d9e40f891e39f556b365ad800c9713ef398255bc906aad0R1346)).
> - 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. ([line 1340](https://github.com/OpenTermsArchive/pga-versions/commit/a90e9d276cda1ca23878fd2b2df7cc066d549c20#diff-dd1aecfa753374588d9e40f891e39f556b365ad800c9713ef398255bc906aad0R1340)).
> - **We do allow allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation**, given political and religious discourse about _transgenderism_[^transgenderism] and homosexuality ([line 1346](https://github.com/OpenTermsArchive/pga-versions/commit/a90e9d276cda1ca23878fd2b2df7cc066d549c20#diff-dd1aecfa753374588d9e40f891e39f556b365ad800c9713ef398255bc906aad0R1346)).
> - 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 ([line 1340](https://github.com/OpenTermsArchive/pga-versions/commit/a90e9d276cda1ca23878fd2b2df7cc066d549c20#diff-dd1aecfa753374588d9e40f891e39f556b365ad800c9713ef398255bc906aad0R1340)).
> - Using “sex- or gender-exclusive language when people [] **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. [] Our policies are designed to allow room for these types of speech.**” ([line 1297](https://github.com/OpenTermsArchive/pga-versions/commit/a90e9d276cda1ca23878fd2b2df7cc066d549c20#diff-dd1aecfa753374588d9e40f891e39f556b365ad800c9713ef398255bc906aad0R1297))
Beyond these additions, many revealing changes are made of removal of interdictions. Thanks to Open Terms Archive history tracking, one can identify that the following content that was forbidden is **allowed on Instagram, Facebook and Threads starting on January 7**:
Beyond these additions, another revealing change is the removal of bans on specific forms of hate speech. Thanks to Open Terms Archive history tracking, we know that the following content that was previously forbidden is now **allowed on Instagram, Facebook and Threads starting on January 7**:

- Comparing people to ([lines 1338 to 1342](https://github.com/OpenTermsArchive/pga-versions/commit/a90e9d276cda1ca23878fd2b2df7cc066d549c20#diff-dd1aecfa753374588d9e40f891e39f556b365ad800c9713ef398255bc906aad0L1338-L1342)):
>
Expand All @@ -37,3 +37,5 @@ Beyond the removal of these specific prohibitions, the update also [removed](htt
Since several of the types of speech that are now allowed are illegal in most European countries, the section [adds a direct link](https://github.com/OpenTermsArchive/pga-versions/commit/a90e9d276cda1ca23878fd2b2df7cc066d549c20#diff-dd1aecfa753374588d9e40f891e39f556b365ad800c9713ef398255bc906aad0R1364) to legal removal requests for European users.

Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg [announced](https://www.threads.net/@zuck/post/DEhgYx4JbEG) on the day these changes were published that “it's time to get back to our roots around free expression and giving people voice on our platforms.” In particular, he stated that Meta will “simplify our content policies and remove restrictions on topics like immigration and gender that are out of touch with mainstream discourse.”

[^transgenderism]: Neologism implying that being transgender is an ideology rather than an identity ([source](https://glaad.org/transgenderism-definition-meaning-anti-lgbt-online-hate/)).

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