The European Union has rejected a claim by the head of Meta that the bloc is engaged in "censorship" because of its technology regulations.
The EU statement comes a day after the social media company scrapped its fact-checking programme in the United States and adopted a community-based system similar to X.
Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg stunned many with his announcement that he was pulling the plug on fact-checking at Facebook and Instagram in the United States, citing concerns about political bias.
Meta also reduced the curbs on discussions around contentious topics such as immigration and gender identity.
"We absolutely refute any claims of censorship on our side," European Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho told reporters in Brussels.
Ireland's media regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, said the fact-checking move only applies to the US and "not to users within the European Union".
In a statement, the commission said that it continues to engage with Meta to ensure that it complies with the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA).
"The compliance of online platforms with some elements of the DSA relating to risk assessment and mitigation are within the competency of the European Commission," it added.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Yesterday’s announcement by Mr Zuckerberg came in the build up to the inauguration of incoming US President Donald Trump, who is a fierce critic of free speech regulation.
Dr Roddy Flynn, from the School of Communications at Dublin City University, said he believes the new policy will take time to affect users in the EU.
He added that he does not think the company will "suddenly" move its Irish operation as it has "solid reasons to be here".
Additional reporting Evelyn O'Rourke
