A tech watchdog reported on Tuesday that violent threats targeting US lawmakers on Facebook increased dramatically after Meta relaxed key content moderation policies last year. The nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) analyzed nearly eight million Facebook comments directed at 100 members of Congress in the six months before and after Meta eased safeguards, which was presented as an effort to protect free speech.
Findings of the Report
The report revealed that violent threats against lawmakers from both political parties, including explicit calls for murder, quadrupled. Harassment more than doubled, and racist and gendered abuse also rose on the platform. CCDH also found that comments inciting violence against President Donald Trump surged after the policy changes, including one statement that he “deserves a bullet through his head.”
Reactions from CCDH and Officials
Imran Ahmed, chief executive of CCDH, stated: “When platforms stop enforcing their own rules against threats, hate, and harassment, they become complicit in normalizing intimidation and harassment of elected officials. The result is a culture where violence feels easier to justify and radicals feel empowered.” In response, a Meta spokesman said the company regularly publishes public reports tracking “violating content” and that “the prevalence of hateful conduct did not increase throughout 2025.” AFP shared CCDH’s report with Meta, but the spokesman added: “We cannot address the claims in this report as we were not provided it in advance of publication.”
In recent years, politicians and election officials across the United States have reported escalating threats, intimidation, and harassment. Last year, Minnesota state legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot and killed in a politically motivated attack. In April, a shooting disrupted the White House correspondents dinner attended by President Trump, who had to be evacuated from the Washington Hilton hotel.
Broader Context
The CCDH report comes after Meta abandoned US fact-checkers in January 2025 and shifted the task of debunking falsehoods to ordinary users through a model called “Community Notes,” popularized by Elon Musk’s platform X. This decision was widely seen as an attempt to appease the Trump administration, whose conservative supporters have long complained that fact-checking on tech platforms curtails free speech and censors right-wing content. Meta also eased speech restrictions on topics such as gender and sexual identity, raising concerns among advocacy groups.
The International Fact-Checking Network has previously warned of devastating consequences if Meta expands its policy shift beyond US borders to programs covering more than 100 countries. AFP currently works in 26 languages with Meta’s fact-checking program, including in Asia, Latin America, and the European Union.
