The social media powerhouse, Meta, has announced the termination of its fact-checking program on Facebook and Instagram, opting instead for a community-driven approach akin to X’s “Community Notes.”
The change, which will begin in the United States, marks a significant pivot in Meta’s content moderation policies and aligns with the priorities of incoming U.S. President Donald Trump.
Meta’s founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, shared the update in a post, stating, “We’re going to get rid of fact-checkers (that) have just been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they’ve created, especially in the US.” He explained that Meta’s platforms would now employ “community notes similar to X (formerly Twitter), starting in the US.”
This unexpected shift underscores longstanding grievances raised by Trump’s Republican Party and X’s owner, Elon Musk, who have criticized fact-checking efforts as a form of censorship targeting conservative voices.
These criticisms have led to legislative proposals in Republican-led states like Florida and Texas, aimed at restricting content moderation practices.
Zuckerberg acknowledged these concerns, saying, “Recent elections feel like a cultural tipping point towards, once again, prioritizing speech over moderation.”
The decision comes amid Zuckerberg’s apparent efforts to mend relations with Trump following his victory in the November election.
Notably, Zuckerberg donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund and dined with the president at Mar-a-Lago in November.
Trump, who has long accused Meta of bias against him, was banned from Facebook after the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack but regained access to his account in early 2023.
The recent announcement appears to be part of a broader effort to rebuild trust with the Republican Party.
A Shift Away From ‘Facebook Jail’
Further signaling Meta’s changing stance, the company recently appointed Joel Kaplan, a former Republican official, to lead public affairs, replacing Nick Clegg, the former British deputy prime minister.
Kaplan highlighted the need for change, saying, “Too much harmless content gets censored, too many people find themselves wrongly locked up in ‘Facebook jail.’”
Additionally, Ultimate Fighting Championship President, Dana White, a close Trump ally, has been named to Meta’s board.
The company is also relocating its trust and safety teams from California to Texas, a move Zuckerberg said would help rebuild trust in moderation efforts by situating them in “places where there is less concern about the bias of our teams.”
Zuckerberg also criticized the European Union’s regulatory environment, stating that its increasing number of censorship laws hampers innovation
. He added, “Meta would work with President Trump to push back against foreign governments going after American companies to censor more.”
A Personalized Approach to Political Content
Meta is also reversing its 2021 policy of reducing political content visibility across its platforms.
Instead, users will now have greater control over how much political content they see on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. This approach, according to Meta, aims to offer a more personalized user experience.
Community-driven moderation has gained traction as an alternative to traditional fact-checking. On X, the Community Notes system relies on user collaboration to add context to posts, promoting reliability through consensus rather than top-down enforcement.
Zuckerberg’s announcement signals Meta’s shift towards this model, with potential implications for its global operations.
Meta’s initial foray into fact-checking began after Trump’s surprising 2016 election victory, which critics attributed to unchecked disinformation on Facebook and interference by foreign entities like Russia.
Under the now-discontinued program, Facebook partnered with over 80 organizations to review and rate content, downgrading posts marked as false to limit their visibility.
As Meta embarks on this new approach, it remains to be seen how these changes will shape the platform’s role in combating misinformation and fostering free speech.
