Why Calling Women ‘Household Objects’ Is Now Permitted On Facebook

The updated policy removes previous prohibitions on content such as referring to “women as household objects or property” or using the term “it” to describe transgender or non-binary individuals.

A newly added section permits “allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation,” citing the ongoing political and religious discourse surrounding transgenderism and homosexuality. Such comments, which would have been removed under the previous guidelines, are now allowed.

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The changes to Meta’s hateful conduct policy were first reported by Wired. The company had alluded to such changes in its Tuesday announcement, suggesting it would lift restrictions on certain controversial topics, including immigration and gender identity, in favor of encouraging broader political discussion. The updated policy underscores CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s vision for a more “free expression” approach to content moderation.

In a separate announcement, Meta revealed it would discontinue its network of independent fact-checkers in the United States, replacing them with user-generated “community notes” to provide context to posts. The company also plans to revise its automated systems that previously flagged policy violations, claiming they have led to over-censorship. Moving forward, these systems will focus only on extreme violations like child sexual exploitation and terrorism.

Zuckerberg acknowledged that this shift in policy would likely mean a reduction in the identification of harmful content, but emphasized that it would also decrease the likelihood of innocent posts being unfairly taken down. “We’re going to catch less bad stuff,” he said, “but we’ll also reduce the number of innocent people’s posts and accounts that we accidentally take down.”

A Meta spokesperson clarified that the company would still prohibit attacks based on ethnicity, race, and religion, as well as slurs. Additionally, Meta will continue to enforce policies against targeted bullying, harassment, and the incitement of violence.

These changes come amid growing tensions between Meta and critics who have accused the company of censoring conservative voices. The policy updates seem to align with efforts to court Republican support ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s second term. Trump himself praised the changes in a Tuesday press conference, speculating that they might be a result of threats he had made against Zuckerberg in the past.

However, experts studying the online information ecosystem have raised concerns that loosening these moderation standards could lead to an increase in viral misinformation and hate speech on Meta platforms.

Alongside the changes to its hateful conduct policy, Meta also removed prohibitions against denying the existence of “protected” groups and now permits content advocating for “gender-based limitations of military, law enforcement, and teaching jobs.”

The company also updated its misinformation policy to reflect the dissolution of its US-based fact-checking network, signaling a shift in how it plans to manage and address misinformation going forward.