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Just weeks after a pro-Trump mob organized the Capitol siege on social media, Mark Zuckerberg says Facebook is taking steps to “turn down the temperature†and downplay divisive and inflammatory political discussions on its platforms.
“To be clear, of course we are still going to enable people to engage in political groups and discussions if they want to. These can also be important and helpful,” Zuckerberg told analysts during his company’s fourth-quarter earnings call Wednesday. “They can be ways that people organize grassroots movements or speak out against injustice or learn from people with different perspectives.â€
But, he said, “one of the top pieces of feedback we were hearing from our community right now is that people don’t want politics and fighting to take over their experience on our services.â€
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Ahead of the election, Facebook stopped recommending political and civic groups in the U.S. Now Facebook will stop recommending those groups to all users around the world, Zuckerberg said.
And, he says Facebook is exploring ways to avoid the many political brawls in people’s News Feed.Â
“Along these same lines, we are also currently exploring steps we can take to reduce the amount of political content in news feed as well,†said Zuckerberg, though he did not offer details.Â
The announcement comes as scrutiny of Facebook’s handling of political speech has intensified since it indefinitely suspended former President Trump following the Capitol attack.
Facebook is also being criticized by the left. In a letter to Zuckerberg on Tuesday, Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) condemned the recommendation of political groups, saying they are “breeding grounds for hate, echo-chambers of misinformation, and venues for coordination of violence, including explicit planning for the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.â€
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