Meta’s marketing director, Alex Schultz, rejects that the company is moving closer to the right politically, despite previous contacts between founder Mark Zuckerberg and US President Donald Trump, and changes in the moderation policies of the group’s platforms (Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp). On the central stage of the Web Summit, Schultz stated that the company is only focused on putting freedom of expression at the center of its strategy. “You can’t build a platform for social networks if you don’t really believe in freedom of expression”, he stressed.
“It is normal behavior for company CEOs to meet with the president of the country to which they report,” he stated, adding that previous years where this did not happen were, in fact, “unusual” times.
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In recent months, Meta announced adjustments to its moderation policies, with greater tolerance for politically sensitive content, as long as it does not violate security rules, electoral integrity or incite violence. The change was interpreted by analysts as an attempt to win back conservative users, after harsh criticism during the 2020 election cycle.
Asked about this reading, Schultz replied that the debate is amplified in the United States, but that the majority of global users do not follow or prioritize this topic. “Most of the time, consumers move on quickly. And for most of the world, they don’t care much about what’s happening in the United States.”
However, the narrative of Meta’s political neutrality has been accompanied by episodes that feed contrary readings. In September, Mark Zuckerberg communicated to US President Donald Trump, during a dinner at the White House, his commitment to investing at least 600 billion dollars in the United States in the coming years, an announcement that was officially confirmed last Friday.