Moderation changes announced today put consumers at risk

Idec expresses concern about the changes announced today by Mark Zuckerberg in Facebook, Instagram and Threads content moderation.Replacing fact-checkers with “notes and reducing moderation filters can increase the circulation of misinformation, hate speech and harmful content on platforms.

These changes confront legitimate regulatory initiatives and directly impact the daily lives of users, exposing them to fraud, abuse and misleading information that can harm everyday actions, such as online shopping and searching for health information.In addition to being potentially dangerous during election periods, the weakening of moderation rules decreases the security of platforms, especially for more vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, black people, children and adolescents.

Idec warns that the changes announced by Meta demonstrate the structural problem of the concentration of power in the hands of corporations that act as arbiters of the digital public space and privilege corporate interests at the expense of security and user rights. Such abusive change reinforces the need for a more robust regulation that holds platforms accountable for the damages caused by their business models and prioritizes the protection of consumers in the digital environment. It is essential that users are aware and that governments and organizations act to ensure a safer and more reliable online space.