Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of “Meta Platforms,” announced a bold step to end the fact-checking service on Facebook and Instagram and to abolish strict rules related to free speech. Zuckerberg confirmed that this decision aims to restore free speech across the company's platforms.

Zuckerberg said in a video posted on Tuesday:

“We will return to our roots and focus on reducing errors, simplifying our policies, and restoring free speech across our platforms.”

He added, “Specifically, we will eliminate fact-checking employees and replace them with community notes, similar to what happens on the X platform (formerly Twitter), and we will start this in the United States.”

This move comes amid Zuckerberg's attempts to strengthen relationships with the upcoming U.S. administration led by Donald Trump. Last November, Zuckerberg met Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort and later donated one million dollars to his inauguration ceremony.

Meta also announced the appointment of Dana White, the CEO of UFC and a close ally of Trump, as a member of its board of directors.

It is worth noting that these changes come at a time when social media platforms are experiencing intense discussions about content policies and free speech, amid increasing criticism of their impact on digital freedoms.