How Mark Zuckerberg could lose out in Trump’s 2.0 era.
Meta may struggle to change content moderation and Section 230 protections with Brendan Carr as FCC chairman.
Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta Platforms may face significant hurdles under Donald Trump’s second term, as FCC chairman Brendan Carr is expected to take a harsh position against Big Tech businesses accused of stifling conservative views.
Trump named Carr, the FCC’s senior Republican, to lead the independent agency that regulates telecommunications on Sunday.
Carr, a vocal critic of Biden’s telecom policies, has long called for Meta’s content moderation methods to be examined. He wants to review Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects tech companies hosting user-generated content.
Carr suggested in the Project 2025 conservative manifesto that the FCC may read Section 230 to constrain Big Tech. Trump has suggested using weaker Section 230 protections to compel firms to reduce biased content control.
Carr stated Sunday the FCC must ‘restore free expression rights for regular Americans,’” demonstrating a strong opposition to platforms like Meta that have been accused of restricting conservative views.
Trump is all set to hurt Meta and Google
Meta is one of the largest sufferers from regulatory changes. Zuckerberg previously supported modifying Section 230 to require systems to address illegal content. With Carr in charge, these upgrades may be less appealing to Meta than Zuckerberg intended.
Tech companies like Tesla profit from Trump’s policies. According to the Trump transition team, the Department of Transportation will prioritize a “federal framework for self-driving cars”. This would benefit Tesla and Waymo, which are developing self-driving cars. Following the news, Tesla stock rose 5.6%.
Apple may benefit from Trump’s good connection with CEO Tim Cook and escape antitrust pressures if Trump reconsiders the Biden administration’s case against the corporation.
