Disseminating falsehood for profit
The founder of the Sikh faith, Guru Nanak, emphasized the importance of truth, yet today, we see how far we have strayed from this principle, embracing falsehoods for profit. The latest example is Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, whose recent decision to overhaul content moderation on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Threads paves the way for more harmful and divisive speech.Zuckerberg's changes include scrapping independent fact-checkers in favor of "community notes" from volunteer users and loosening rules around offensive content. This shift will likely allow hateful rhetoric targeting women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and marginalized groups to proliferate. These changes seem to cater to political figures like Donald Trump, who have long opposed efforts to regulate hate speech and disinformation online. Meta's corporate ties to Trump and his allies, including financial donations and board appointments, further underscore this shift toward the MAGA movement.
As media scholars Siva Vaidhyanathan, Marc Owen Jones, and journalist Maria Ressa have pointed out, the global rise of authoritarianism is partly fueled by the spread of disinformation through social media platforms. In 2024, 71% of the world was under authoritarian rule, and platforms like Meta are contributing to the erosion of democratic principles by amplifying falsehoods.
Zuckerberg’s actions risk further destabilizing democratic discourse. As users, it’s critical that we demand greater accountability and transparency from tech giants. These platforms must prioritize truth and integrity over profit, for the sake of a healthy, informed society
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