After Meta relaxed its content moderation policies last year, a sobering new report has found that abusive comments targeting US politicians have skyrocketed. The Center for Countering Digital Hate discovered that racist and gendered abuse against lawmakers tripled in the six months following the policy change, with violent threats and hate speech quadrupling.

Specific examples include gendered and racist abuse directed at representatives like Jasmine Crockette of Texas and Byron Daniels of Florida. Meta did not remove these comments, even as threats to President Trump's life nearly doubled and could have been classified as felony offenses.

The relaxation in content moderation saw a sharp decline in proactive enforcement, with the number of abusive comments increasing by 150 per cent. Experts argue that this leniency is driven by the engagement value of such content, which keeps users scrolling and ads appearing. The real-world impact is already being felt – Capitol Police cited increased threats when requesting budget increases.

With lawmakers stepping back from public life due to fear for their safety, the AI reflects on whether prioritizing free speech means accepting a rise in harmful content that could have serious consequences.