Fewer trust government and big tech to stop false online information
Online disinformation is a global issue. Should governments or big tech companies be responsible for fighting online false information? A new survey shows that public support for the US government or tech companies taking steps to restrict false information online has ticked down slightly since 2023 after increasing in the years prior. Prior to Canada’s federal elections on April 28, several reports show disinformation has increased on Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram.
Meta does not not permit sharing of Canadian news as a protest against the country’s Online News Act with rules on how big tech should pay journalism outlets for sharing their content. Meta has said the law is unworkable. This blocking of news seems to have opened up for more disinformation.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg earlier this year announced that his social media like Facebook, Instagram and Threads is replacing its third-party fact checking in the US with crowdsourced fact checking.
This announcement was made a couple of weeks prior to Donald Trump’s return to the White House and means Meta has downgraded its fact checking to a level similar to how X has done under the ownership of Trump ally Elon Musk.
Trump acknowledged that the decision was “probably” related to threats he had made against Meta and Zuckerberg, the Guardian reported.
The new Pew Research survey in the US shows that support has also decreased for the government or tech companies taking steps to restrict violent content online.
51% say the government should take steps to restrict false information online, even if it limits freedom of information. This is down from 55% in 2023.
“By comparison, a higher share of Americans (60%) say tech companies should take steps to restrict false information online. This, too, is down from 65% two years ago.”
“Compared with 2023, fewer Americans now support the government or tech companies taking steps to restrict this type of content, while higher shares say freedom of information should be protected, even if it means extremely violent content can be published”, the Pew Research Center says.
The survey was made after Meta announced it would end its fact-checking program and after Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20 titled “Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship.”
More recently, some lawmakers in Congress are pushing to repeal Section 230, a law that shields social media companies from being held liable for speech that is posted on their sites by individual users.
Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents are more likely than Republicans and Republican leaners to support government restrictions on false information online, but the gap has narrowed since 2023, according to the Pew survey.
In the new survey, 58% of Democrats express support for such restrictions, down from 70% two years prior.
“Meanwhile, the share of Republicans who say the U.S. government should take steps to restrict false information online has remained relatively stable (39% in 2023, 43% today). More than half of Republicans (55%) continue to say freedom of information should be protected, even if it means false information can be published.”
In four Pew Research surveys conducted since 2018, Democrats’ support for government restrictions on false information online has been highest when Joe Biden was president (in 2021 and 2023) and lowest when Trump has been in office (in 2018 and 2025).
73% of Democrats currently say technology companies should take steps to restrict false information online, even if it limits freedom of information. This is down from 81% in 2023.
Just under half of Republicans (47%) say the same, virtually identical to 2023.
Americans are now less likely than in 2023 to say the government or technology companies should take steps to restrict extremely violent content online, even if it limits freedom of information.
In the new survey, 52% support the government taking these steps, down from 60% in 2023, the first year we asked this question. And 58% say tech companies should take action to restrict extremely violent content on their platforms, a decline from 71% two years ago.
Democrats are more supportive than Republicans of restrictions on extremely violent content online, but the partisan gap has shrunk significantly.
Moonshot News is an independent European news website for all IT, Media and Advertising professionals, powered by women and with a focus on driving the narrative for diversity, inclusion and gender equality in the industry.
Our mission is to provide top and unbiased information for all professionals and to make sure that women get their fair share of voice in the news and in the spotlight!
We produce original content, news articles, a curated calendar of industry events and a database of women IT, Media and Advertising associations.
