Meta exec rejects moderation changes led to more antisemitism

A policy director at Meta has refuted allegations that recent modifications to the social media giant's content moderation policies have resulted in a rise in antisemitic content across its platforms. The company, which boasts 3.5 billion users across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, presented its case to the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion.

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It means we're going to catch less bad stuff, but we'll also reduce the number of innocent people's posts and accounts that we accidentally take down.

In January 2025, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced substantial changes to the Community Standards on Hate Speech, aiming to "get rid of a bunch of restrictions" on how users discuss sensitive topics like gender and immigration. He also adjusted the enforcement of hateful conduct violations, citing concerns about over-enforcement and the removal of content that did not breach Meta's standards. Zuckerberg stated the changes would mean catching less harmful content but also reducing the accidental removal of posts from innocent users.

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The reactive approach differs from the proactive approach in that it is less prone to over-enforcement, and that was the problem motivating the changes.

Benjamin Good, Meta's core policy director, informed the royal commission that the company's enforcement of hateful conduct standards is now primarily reactive, depending on user reports. He contrasted this with a proactive approach, which utilizes AI tools to remove harmful posts before they are seen, noting that these tools are mainly for severe violations like terrorism and fraud. Good acknowledged that content might go unremoved if not reported but emphasized careful monitoring. Despite his assertions, data presented to the inquiry indicated a sharp decline in hate speech content removed from Facebook and Instagram. Approximately 5.8 million items were removed between October and December 2024, compared to just 1.2 million items from July to September 2025, after the policy changes took effect.

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Its true there may be content that we don't remove because it is not reported, but I do want to emphasise we are very carefully monitoring the extent to which that is the case.