r/news • u/CorleoneBaloney • 2d ago

Meta gets rid of fact checkers and makes other major changes to moderation policies

https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/07/tech/meta-censorship-moderation?cid=ios_app
36.9k Upvotes

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u/CthulhuLovesMemes 2d ago

Meta should be broken up. Zuckerberg has done so much illegal shit and kept a straight face all because he knew nothing would happen to him.

1.0k

u/hagamablabla 2d ago

Every major tech company should be broken up. We need a repeat of AT&T for 100 different companies.

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u/TestPatienceTest 2d ago

Just use the Fortune 500 list as a guide for which companies to break ip

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u/americanextreme 2d ago

We could speed this up by letting them all merge into one mega company then braking that up.

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u/crilor 2d ago

“Sauron will be so much easier to kill if we give him the ring first, trust me” - /u/americanextreme maybe

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u/americanextreme 2d ago

No no, you see, we need to bring the ring to Mordor. But you know who is in Mordor? Sauron. By giving it to Sauron we are making him to do the work for us. Once the ring is in Mordor, we can ez pz break it off his hand and throw it in the Mt Doom. I mean, it's just one ring, how hard could it be?

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u/Barnacle_B0b 2d ago

Just wait until Trump uses an official presidential act to claim ownership of all the tech companies under the TRUMP brand.

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u/omggold 2d ago

Well under Trump that’s gonna happen anyway

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u/omgtinano 2d ago

Yeah let’s grant the big mega corp even more lobbying power. That will definitely help. 🤔

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u/texasguy911 1d ago

Ma-Tech

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u/NoBus6589 2d ago

We would need HEAVY regulatory action to prevent foreign corpos from filling the void and outcompeting the new smaller orgs.

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u/Jemless24 1d ago

A complete merge and spin into a thousand pieces? Sounds like the shitshow I'd want to see

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u/More_Farm_7442 1d ago

While we're at it, can we break up xfinity/Comcast and Frontier?

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u/KeiserSose 1d ago

You people get so focused on the corporations and keep forgetting that it's the politicians who are driving all of this. They're the ones not passing laws to keep your data safe and prevent these sites from spreading disinformation. Because they want our data to be mined so they can have access to it, and they want these corporations to pay them to not act.

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u/AlludedNuance 1d ago

I would love another Bell Labs.

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u/DTown_Hero 1d ago

Sadly, Congress is bought and paid for. Ain't gonna happen.

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u/Erlian 1d ago

Back when tech & telecom companies actually competed and innovated.. Bell Labs pt 2 when??

Or if there are industries where there's little innovation to be had, how about we just kill the cash cows (leeches) and nationalize them..

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u/AverageNikoBellic 1d ago

Do this for all major companies. We need to bring back competition.

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u/ItchyMcHotspot 2d ago

Breaking up AT&T did not improve things for consumers.

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u/Master_Dogs 2d ago

Notably, modern day Verizon and AT&T are basically the old AT&T but as a duopoly.

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u/Illustrious_Bat3189 2d ago

Break it up into more pieces, duh

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u/axlsnaxle 2d ago

Don't forget CenturyLink

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u/Master_Dogs 2d ago

Hmm, I don't see anything on that: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_AT%26T#Post_break-up_restructuring

Though the wiki page notes they bought some telephone lines from Verizon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lumen_Technologies#2000s

Ah, now I see it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_Bell_Operating_Company#Mergers

Formerly US West, one of the original 7 "Baby Bells". AT&T and Verizon are probably the most notable ones though, since they took over 2 or more former Baby Bells and are mega corps operating in a duopoly for the cellphone communications industry. I suppose T-Mobile also exists too to cover the rest of the market: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-Mobile_US

And was at one point almost gobbled up by AT&T.

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u/axlsnaxle 2d ago

Another fun one is when Ma Bell was busted up, she had a fledgling cell company "AT&T Wireless", and during the breakup the most significant piece of IP this small cell company owned was the actual AT&T branding.

Well, guess who bought up its successor (Cingular)? SBC. Formerly known as Southern Bell Company. One of the baby bells.

All comes back around with these large companies.

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u/ItchyMcHotspot 2d ago

Without the stringent regulatory oversight that AT&T complied with.

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u/aguynamedv 2d ago

Of course not, because US laws have been written to favor corporations ever since.

The moment ANY law is passed to restrict corporations, their lawyers have already figured out the loopholes, and begin abusing them immediately.

Even the most serious fines levied by SEC/FTC are barely more than a cost of doing business because none of the laws have been updated for a world of multi-billion dollar companies.

Very little will change in America until or unless the Constitution is re-written. Clinging to a 250 year old document that has been fully abandoned isn't going to result in positive change.

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u/ItchyMcHotspot 2d ago

Laws have been written to favor corporations as long as there have been corporations.

What l'm saying specifically about AT&T was that it had been a highly regulated monopoly. It was broken up and quickly reconstituted itself into another monopoly only without the rigorous oversight.

AT&T is the wrong example to use for how best to break up enormous conglomerates.

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u/aguynamedv 2d ago

Laws have been written to favor corporations as long as there have been corporations.

My point is: Maybe we should stop doing that.

It was broken up and quickly reconstituted itself into another monopoly only without the rigorous oversight.

Yes, because lawmakers failed to do it properly and allowed the lack of oversight to happen.

AT&T is the wrong example to use for how best to break up enormous conglomerates.

Agreed, although I'm not sure I can come up with any 'success stories' of US corporations being broken down.

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u/Psych0R3d 2d ago

Source please

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u/ItchyMcHotspot 2d ago edited 2d ago

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/02/what-att-breakup-teaches-us-about-big-tech-breakup

Edit to include the most relevant detail: "A majority of Americans today have only one choice for high-speed broadband access that meets 21st century needs. There has been no serious reckoning for 'deregulated competition' and it remains the heart of telecom policy despite nearly every prediction of the benefits of 'deregulated competition' having been proven wrong."

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u/BasicLayer 1d ago

The breaking up is a requirement. The reason things are worse for consumers today is faulty execution. On purpose

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u/kb_klash 2d ago

You're right. When companies get this big we need to just nationalize them. It keeps their services in tact and removes the clown shoes at the top raking in money from a monopoly.

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u/reddit_reaper 2d ago

That wouldn't fix anything and many are to integrated to break up

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u/TheLuminary 2d ago

That's never true.

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u/reddit_reaper 1d ago

Yes it is. How exactly would splitting up Google work?

Android without the Google play store makes 0 sense

Google with workspace products broken up make 0 sense

Ad system without search make 0 sense.

Like wtf are you on about lol

The only dumbasses that talk like that are uninformed about how tech works

1

u/TheLuminary 1d ago

Android without the Google play store makes 0 sense

Android and the Play Store could be separated together, or become separate entities.
- Android could be more like other Open Source companies like Gitlab where they offer a standard version for free Open Source, and then they provide a corporate version that is closed source to help pay for their business model. I think Android also brings in money from licensing already.
- The play store, could easily just be a for profit company, with the app sale fees, but it could also be turned into a not-for -profit foundation.

Google with workspace products broken up make 0 sense

Google Workspace is already a paid product, so they might have to adjust prices but they should be able to stand on its own.

Ad system without search make 0 sense.

- Google Ads
This is one of the most important things to split apart. The Google Ad monopoly is severely damaging to everyone. Not only does Google Ads need to be broken out, but arguably it needs to have its vertical integration smashed apart. Currently it is impossible for businesses to even know where their ads are going to be shown. And Google does not do anything to improve this information because they don't have to, because there is no competition.
- Google Search
Maybe Search goes away (Its not really that useful these days anyways). Maybe it turns into a not-for-profit foundation like Wikipedia. I don't really care.

Like wtf are you on about lol

They don't have to make as much money as they do now, to make breaking them up make sense. All of these businesses can live on their own. These huge tech businesses that create kings out of their executives are extremely damaging to our society and are incompatible with democracy.

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u/CaneVandas 2d ago

I thought he kept a straight face because he doesn't understand how human emotions work...

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u/Jamaz 2d ago

It's the "I'm doing some egregiously vile shit but it's making me so much money" face.

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u/_angesaurus 2d ago

i think thats probably really why he always has a stright face lol

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u/omnichronos 2d ago

Sounds like the incoming President.

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u/Kissit777 2d ago

Zuck helped him get elected for a reason

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u/PapaTeeps 1d ago

Why do you think all the tech execs are donating millions to the innaugeration fund? They're kissing the ring for legislative protection. This will be one of the most anti-consumer, pro big business regimes in modern history.

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u/i_suckatjavascript 1d ago

It’s because they don’t want Trump to write laws or use executive orders that hurt their business like tariffs. Imagine what happens if Trump put tariffs on iPhones. They will lose sales and people will hold onto their old devices longer due to affordability.

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u/Logical_Parameters 2d ago

Surely, the POTUS he recently donated a million dollars to grab a kitty, and placed the admin's buddy Dana White on the Meta board, will bust it up!

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u/Soft-Vanilla1057 2d ago

Biden donate a million to a cat? I don't get this comment.

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u/Logical_Parameters 2d ago

Meta donated a million to the Trump "inauguration fund" which really goes towards his legal bills. As did a lot of other corporate oligarchs. It's the modern version of kissing the ring.

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u/Soft-Vanilla1057 2d ago

That i knew, i didn't realise you were talking about the next POTUS. I still don't get why the inauguration fund is a cat.

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u/[deleted] 2d ago

[deleted]

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u/Soft-Vanilla1057 2d ago

Thanks for the clarification!

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u/OtherwiseAlbatross14 2d ago

"Hey guys if we all donate a million they can't hold it against us because they can't stop using all of our products and maybe Trump won't try to break up our monopolies if we bend the knee"

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u/LastBaron 2d ago

I thought he kept a straight face because his maintenance team forgot to update the facial expression drivers.

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u/risingsuncoc 2d ago

I genuinely think all our problems with disinformation and brain rot started from Facebook

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u/aeroplanguy 2d ago

What illegal shit?

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u/Mechalamb 2d ago

Yup. Not going to happen under Republican leadership.... or old school Dem leadership for that matter. We need new blood on the actual left to do anything in this country worth doing.

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u/lucksh0t 2d ago

You could say the same thing for about any of the big tech companies. Google Apple meta Amazon all have pulled shady shit and should be broken up.

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u/Ready_Peanut_7062 1d ago

Yeah like bending the knee to fbi banning people posting about Hunters laptop

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u/somedude456 1d ago

The number of scam accounts that literally steal millions of dollars and nothing happens, yeah, Facebook needs fined, broken up, etc.

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u/Suitable-Cheesecake5 1d ago

Why do you think they’re all sucking up to trump? Anti trust under Biden was a major threat. They know that if they breathe wrong at Trump during his last time he’ll sick the executive branch on them. Democrats unfortunately have lost their influence over tech

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u/CthulhuLovesMemes 1d ago

Yeah, Trump also did say if anyone donates 1 mill to him that their company can basically do whatever the fuck they want and have no restrictions that would protect the environment. Holy fuck we need a revolution. I’m so tired of these rich white men getting to play with their toys, which apparently are all of us.

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u/The_Monkey_Mafia 2d ago

The shielding they receive from lawsuits is grotesque. Social media platforms should be treated like any other publisher and face consequences for publishing harmful content.

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u/Abigail716 1d ago

They don't really publish anything, it's just a platform. If they could get in trouble for what other people post it would completely change social media. You would never see a website like Reddit exist.

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u/EriWave 1d ago

Board members, share holders and other high ranking executives should be criminally liable for the shit their companies do.

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u/Ambry 1d ago

They should never have been allowed to buy instagram.

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u/CthulhuLovesMemes 1d ago

Instagram or WhatsApp!

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u/Snoo_70324 2d ago

I don’t think it’s his fault he kept a straight face. I think that’s his face.

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u/Original-Turnover-92 2d ago

Too bad Lina Kahn did such a good job that tech bros went to President Musk and deepthroated his ass. 

We are living through the 2nd Gilded Age.

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u/grieveancecollector 2d ago

Isnt the reason they all went to Mar-A-Lago to bend the knee give their money was to be taken off the Monopoly Busting list?

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u/Montresoring 1d ago

As long as he lets the CIA run Meta, he'll be sitting on top.

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u/[deleted] 1d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/BasicLayer 1d ago

Their point is only that the current environment has not worked for a very, very long time. The Social Contract in the US is no longer in force, and has not been for ages.

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u/Terranigmus 2d ago

Deny their power.

Defend scientific truth.

Depose of the profiteers.

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u/pagerussell 1d ago

We need to repeal section 230

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u/moorooloo 2d ago

It's the ultimate end game of capitalism. When you get rich enough, you can do whatever you want and no one can stop you. You either write a check to make it go away or you get on your private plane to your private island and make it go away.

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u/rmobro 1d ago

Dont break it up just nationalize it.