Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is overhauling its content moderation strategy by phasing out its third-party fact-checking program in favor of a new "Community Notes" model. This transition will commence in the United States.
Mark Zuckerberg, Meta's Founder and CEO, indicated that the change arises from concerns regarding the political biases of expert fact-checkers. He stated that the existing system has eroded public trust, particularly in the U.S.
In a social media post, Zuckerberg remarked, "We're going to get rid of fact-checkers and replace them with community notes similar to X, starting in the US. Fact-checkers have been too politically biased and destroyed more trust than they've built."
The Community Notes system will enable users to provide contextual information on posts deemed misleading or needing clarification. This model has been successfully employed on X, where the community assesses the need for additional context.
Joel Kaplan, Meta's Chief Global Affairs Officer, noted that the approach has proven effective on X by empowering users to identify potentially misleading posts.
Meta's decision responds to critiques that expert reviewers often carry biases, leading to an overload of fact-checked content that undermines user trust. The company believes a community-driven model will democratize content moderation and reduce perceived biases.
This shift reflects broader trends in social media, with platforms like X adopting decentralized moderation systems aimed at enhancing transparency and trust through community involvement.
While some welcome Meta's move, concerns persist regarding the potential for misinformation to spread, as critics argue that community-driven models may lack necessary expertise for evaluating complex claims.
Meta's transition to the Community Notes system marks a significant change in the management of misinformation on social media, with close observation expected to determine its effectiveness in balancing transparency, accuracy, and trust.