Meta is overhauling its content moderation and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, signalling a major strategic pivot amid shifting legal and political dynamics under the incoming Trump administration. Despite the possibility that the shift will invite more pressing brand safety threats onto Facebook and Instagram, experts say advertisers are likely to keep investing.
The company’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, announced last week that the tech giant will roll back content moderation restrictions on its platforms. An internal memo shared at the company, obtained by The Intercept, outlines examples of language that would have previously been banned on the social platforms but will now be permissible; examples included “Immigrants are grubby, filthy pieces of shit” and “Gays are freaks.”

Zuckerberg framed the move as a return to Meta’s foundational principles of free expression, though he acknowledged that the shift could result in more controversial content on its platforms.