“Cuck-erberg-ing” Is The Dance Between Principles & Power…

Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, has long been a polarising figure in the tech world.

Whether he’s hailed as a visionary for connecting billions or criticised as a harbinger of mass surveillance and social decay, his actions often reveal a man caught between competing forces: principles and power.

The nickname “Cuck-erberg,” a biting play on words combining “cuck” and “Zuckerberg,” encapsulates the perception of his willingness to compromise principles for influence and alignment with shifting political winds.

In 2019, Facebook publicly opposed calls from the U.S., U.K., and Australian governments for backdoors into its encrypted messaging platforms.

Zuckerberg’s company claimed such measures would “undermine the privacy and security of people everywhere.”

This stance seemed to position Facebook as a defender of digital rights, drawing a clear line against government overreach in the name of surveillance.

However, critics pointed out the contradiction in Facebook’s simultaneous collection of vast amounts of user data for profit.

While opposing state surveillance, Facebook’s business model arguably enabled a form of corporate surveillance on an unprecedented scale.

This duality, a commitment to privacy when convenient, yet a dependency on exploiting personal data would become a recurring theme in Zuckerberg’s career.

Fast forward to 2024, and Zuckerberg appeared to shift gears dramatically.

After Donald Trump’s second election victory, Zuckerberg described the event as a “cultural tipping point” in favor of free speech.

According to reports, he even expressed a willingness to collaborate with Trump’s administration to “push back on censorship.”

This declaration came amid growing scrutiny of Meta’s role in shaping public discourse.

Critics labeled the move as opportunistic, a way to align with the political tide and avoid further government regulation.

The once defender of privacy now appeared willing to placate a political regime that had historically sought to erode the very protections Facebook once claimed to champion.

Now, in early 2025, Meta announced it would end its fact-checking efforts, appointing UFC President Dana White a controversial figure known for his no-nonsense, populist approach to lead its new “Truth Division.”

Zuckerberg reiterated his stance on free speech, framing the decision as a commitment to a less regulated information ecosystem.

While some applauded the move as a rejection of “big tech censorship,” others saw it as yet another capitulation to political expedience.

By abandoning fact-checking, Meta risked becoming a breeding ground for disinformation, a far cry from its 2019 stance on safeguarding “the privacy and security of people everywhere.”