Meta replaces fact-checking with Community Notes, drawing inspiration from Musk’s X

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg criticized fact-checkers, claiming they were "too politically biased" and had eroded trust rather than building it. He expressed Meta's renewed focus on free expression and promised simpler policies to reduce moderation errors. "It's time to get back to our roots," Zuckerberg declared, signaling a shift towards fostering less restrictive online communication.

Hyderabad: Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has shut down its U.S. fact-checking program, which is being replaced by a crowd-sourced “community notes” system modeled on Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter). The decision radically re-orients Meta’s content moderation strategy.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that fact-checkers were “too politically biased” and had “destroyed more trust than they’ve created.” He also emphasized Meta’s renewed commitment to free expression, thus promising simpler policies that would allow for fewer moderated mistakes. “It’s time to get back to our roots,” Zuckerberg said.

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Meta is apparently trying to get closer to the Trump administration. After all, on January 6, during the riot at the Capitol, Trump’s Facebook account was locked. However, tensions have since thawed between Zuckerberg and Trump: Meta donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration, and Zuckerberg met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in November.

The new system works in conjunction with users to collaboratively add clarifying notes to posts. Critics fear this can promote the spread of misinformation. Groups such as Global Witness have clapped back, calling it a Machiavellian move for favor with Trump, and cautioning that unchecked disinformation doesn’t bode well.