Control the arbiters of facts and you wield truth itself as a cudgel

Hello, and welcome back to TechScape. Last Tuesday, I predicted Meta would enter a new political era after the departure of Nick Clegg. Two hours after I published last week’s newsletter, Mark Zuckerberg declared that the new conservative phase would begin. It was sooner and more brazen than I had expected – and faster-paced. Zuckerberg announced he would disband Meta’s US fact-checking operation because he believes his fact-checkers have been too politically biased. He feels the truth is better served by the mob; notes by Facebook users themselves in the style of Twitter/X will replace professional fact-checkers. Zuckerberg also announced that Meta would move its content moderation teams, which are separate from its third-party fact-checking operations, from California to Texas in a move, he said, will “help remove the concern that biased employees are overly censoring content”.

The plan to dox Wikipedia editors and Meta’s moves are attempts to politicize the truth by controlling its custodians.

‘Mainlined into UK’s veins’: Labour announces huge public rollout of AI

Why did Mark Zuckerberg end Facebook and Instagram’s factchecking program?

Revisions of ‘hateful conduct’: what users can now say on Meta platforms

Silicon Valley leaders bend the knee to Trump – podcast

Canada’s election is about to have an Elon Musk problem with Trudeau’s exit

Poll: Majority of Britons believe Musk having negative impact on UK politics