Mark Zuckerberg Defends New Content Rules, Talks Free Speech on Joe Rogan’s Podcast

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended his decision to scale back Meta’s content moderation policies during a Joe Rogan podcast on January 10, 2025. The move has faced criticism, including from employees within Meta.

Zuckerberg announced that Meta will end its independent fact-checker program and replace it with a community notes system, similar to X (formerly Twitter).

This means Facebook, Instagram, and Threads will rely more on users to flag misinformation. Meta will also raise thresholds for automated content filters, resulting in fewer posts being automatically removed.

Zuckerberg emphasized that Meta’s goal is to return to its original mission of free expression. He stated, “The whole point of social media is giving people the ability to share what they want.”

The timing of these changes raised questions, especially since they came just before Donald Trump’s inauguration. However, Zuckerberg denied any connection, saying there’s never a perfect time for such changes.

Zuckerberg also discussed how he felt uncomfortable being the “decider of what is true” for billions of people. He mentioned that during the Biden administration, Meta was pressured to remove content that he later believed should not have been flagged as misinformation.

Zuckerberg praised X’s approach to content moderation, saying they handled it better than Meta. He also noted that social media creators and podcast hosts like Rogan are gaining more influence as trust in government and traditional media declines.

He defended his decision to allow more controversial opinions, stating that if something is allowed in Congress, it should be allowed on social media.

Zuckerberg concluded that Meta will take less responsibility for moderating content moving forward, acknowledging that in the past, certain voices were silenced.