Google Searches to Delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads Soar as Meta Ends Fact-Checking Policy: Report
Following Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement to end third-party fact-checking and relax content moderation policies, the U.S. Google Searches on how to delete Facebook, Instagram and Threads accounts have increased significantly. The surge comes after Meta revealed plans to lift political content limits and other previous protections aimed at curbing misinformation and harmful speech on its platforms.
Meta’s new policy changes cause backlash
Critics say the changes are aimed at appealing to political figures and avoiding backlash, especially from right-wing groups. The move raises concerns that it could lead to a rise in hate speech, misinformation and political content spreading more quickly on Meta’s networks, TechCrunch said. reported.
Google search trends increased dramatically
As TechCrunch reports, Google Trends data shows a sharp increase in search terms like “how to permanently delete Facebook” and “how to delete Instagram account,” with search interest peaking. is 100 – the highest possible level. Other related queries, including “alternative to Facebook”, “how to quit Facebook” and “how to delete Threads account”, have increased significantly, with search activity increasing more than 5,000 percent in the past few days ,
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This growth in search activity signals a strong reaction against Meta’s decision to scale back measures already in place to limit hate speech and the spread of political extremism treat. For years, Meta’s fact-checking system and content moderation rules have sought to limit misinformation that led to real-world violence, such as the 6th Capitol riots. January. According to one report, despite recognizing these dangers, Meta was criticized for not taking stronger action against the spread of violent political content during the event. report by the Washington Post.
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The global impact of the Meta platform
Meta’s platform has also been linked to promoting violence in other parts of the world. Reports highlight the platforms’ role in inciting violence in Myanmar, where military members used Facebook to promote actions that led to the genocide of the Rohingya people.
Zuckerberg framed the policy changes as a move to restore free speech, echoing similar comments made by Elon Musk about his X platform. As part of these changes, Meta plans to replace third-party fact-checkers with a community notes system where users can flag posts they believe need more context. .
