EU Rejects Zuckerberg's Censorship Claims, Continues Fact-Checking Amid US Changes

Jan 8, 2025, 02:10 PM

The European Union has categorically rejected accusations of censorship made by Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, following his announcement that the company would end its digital fact-checking program in the United States. The EU emphasized that content moderation does not equate to censorship, highlighting that the Digital Services Act (DSA) focuses on freedom of expression while requiring the removal of illegal content. Zuckerberg's comments came after a dinner with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, and he criticized EU laws, including the Digital Markets Law (DML) and Digital Services Law (DSL), as institutionalizing censorship. The EU's response was firm, with spokesperson Paula Pinho stating that the bloc categorically rejects any accusation of censorship on its part. Meanwhile, Meta has confirmed it will continue fact-checking in the European Union, including in countries like the Netherlands, and will replace its U.S. fact-checking with a 'Notas de contexto' system similar to that used by X.