Win for free speech as Facebook winds back censorship

2025 has barely begun but we’ve already seen a huge win for free speech with Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement that:

Meta is abandoning the use of independent fact checkers on Facebook and Instagram, replacing them with X-style "community notes" where commenting on the accuracy of posts is left to users.”

In discussions about this policy change, Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook (now owned by Meta), admitted these social media platforms had been censoring users and had caved to government pressure to do so.

It is well-known that fact-checking was stifling free expression and people who spoke out on controversial issues were being censored by social media corporations, including Facebook. For Mark Zuckerberg to admit this is a big step forward.

Zuckerberg’s pledge to push back against government pressure indicates the technology giant is moving towards free speech going forward.

This does not mean governments will not continue to try to censor dissenting opinions. We continue to see this in cases such as Chris Elston, known as Billboard Chris, who was censored by the Australian e-safety Commissioner for questioning transgender ideology.

HRLA is representing Billboard Chris with his hearing before the Administrative Appeals Tribunal coming in late March this year.

The freedom to speak the truth without censorship by governments, and indeed by corporations, is an essential freedom. While Meta’s decision is a step in the right direction, defending this freedom remains vital.