Zuckerberg Says Social Media Platforms “Shouldn’t Be Arbiters of Truth”After Twitter Fact Checks Trump

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says social media companies shouldn’t be responsible for fact-checking the content posted on their platforms following President Donald Trump’s criticism of Twitter for fact-checking his claim that vote-by-mail initiatives are “substantially fraudulent.”

“I don’t think that Facebook or internet platforms in general should be arbiters of truth,” Zuckerberg said during an appearance on “Squawk Box.” Political speech is one of the most sensitive parts in a democracy, and people should be able to see what politicians say.”

Facebook does employ fact-checkers, but Zuckerberg insists they’re there to “really catch the worst of the worst stuff.”

“The point of that program isn’t to try to parse words on is something slightly true or false,” he said. “In terms of political speech, again, I think you want to give broad deference to the political process and political speech.”

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President Trump has threatened to shut down social media platforms after Twitter’s fact-check.

The president suggested that social media “totally silences” conservative voices.

“Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservatives voices. We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen,” he wrote. “We saw what they attempted to do, and failed, in 2016. We can’t let a more sophisticated version of that happen again.”

The president reportedly plans to sign an executive order against social media companies. The order reinterprets the Communications Decency Act, which shields websites and tech companies from lawsuits.

Alan Herrera

Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.