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Mark Zuckerberg. Reuters
Instagram and Facebook to Allow Users to Call Homosexuals 'Mentally Ill'

Instagram and Facebook to Allow Users to Call Homosexuals 'Mentally Ill'

Mark Zuckerberg's Changes at Meta Extend Beyond the Removal of Fact-Checkers on Its Platforms

José A. González

Jueves, 9 de enero 2025, 16:00

"It's time to return to our roots around freedom of expression." With these words, Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook and owner of WhatsApp and Instagram, announced earlier this week the end of the fact-checking program across all platforms within the Meta universe. This 180-degree shift in content moderation, which will no longer be conducted by humans but by algorithms, brings other changes to the messages that can be shared on its social networks.

This Thursday, the company made a significant update to its policies, stating, however, that "we do not allow hate speech on Facebook, Instagram, or Threads." Yet, the five paragraphs of the new policy contradict this opening statement of conduct rules on these platforms.

According to this modification, users of Meta's social networks will be able to refer to homosexuals and transgender individuals as "mentally ill." "We allow accusations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation, given the political and religious discourse on transsexuality and homosexuality, and the non-serious habitual use of words like 'queer'," the American tech company specifies. However, it clarifies that insults related to mental characteristics or intellectual abilities "are restricted" on the networks.

Furthermore, this group, according to the wording of the new rules, leaves a legal loophole that would allow the dehumanization of these individuals. In previous versions of this policy, Meta prohibited its users from comparing people to any household object. It also contained a section that banned the use of "trash" to refer to any group of people.

Gender Discrimination

Nevertheless, the LGBTQ+ community is not the only one affected and susceptible to future attacks on Facebook, Instagram, or Threads, where users can post messages opposing women serving in the military or police. This modification opens the door to all those users who want, for example, to reject the presence of women, even in teaching. Or, on the other hand, to say that men should not be allowed to teach mathematics due to their gender.

Meta now allows content that advocates "gender-based limitations on military, police, and teaching jobs. We also allow the same content based on sexual orientation when the content is based on religious beliefs." The same applies to homosexuals, as long as the arguments are based on religious reasons.

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todoalicante Instagram and Facebook to Allow Users to Call Homosexuals 'Mentally Ill'