Meta replaces fact-checkers in US on Facebook, Instagram, opts for community approach
Meta has ditched fact-checkers in the US, opting for a community-driven approach to combat misinformation on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads
Meta is ending its fact-checking programme in the US and replacing it with a “Community Notes” system similar to that on Elon Musk-owned X, the Facebook parent said on Tuesday.
The Community Notes model will allow users on Meta’s social media sites Facebook, Instagram and Threads to call out posts that are potentially misleading and need more context, rather than placing the responsibility on independent fact checking organizations and experts.
“We’re going to get rid of fact-checkers and replace them with community notes similar to X, starting in the US,” Meta Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a post on social media.
“Experts, like everyone else, have their own biases and perspectives. This showed up in the choices some made about what to fact-check and how … A programme intended to inform too often became a tool to censor,” Meta said.
Meta added that its efforts over the years to manage content across its platforms have expanded “to the point where we are making too many mistakes, frustrating our users and too often getting in the way of the free expression we set out to enable.”
The company said it would begin phasing in Community Notes in the United States over the next couple of months and would improve the model over the course of the year.
