David BridgesEarlier this year, Mark Zuckerberg made a significant announcement regarding the future of Meta’s fact-checking program. He stated that the company would be winding down its long-standing initiative aimed at combatting misinformation, citing concerns that it led to excessive censorship across the platforms. As a result, Meta has now confirmed an official end date for fact-checking on its popular platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, specifically for users in the United States.
On X, Meta’s policy chief Joel Kaplan declared, “By Monday afternoon, our fact-checking program in the US will be officially over.” This announcement indicates a shift away from utilizing fact checkers, meaning there will be no new fact checks conducted moving forward.
In lieu of traditional fact-checking, Meta has been gradually increasing its emphasis on Community Notes. The company recently opened up registration for potential contributors, allowing users to sign up for this new system. This initiative, which is set to leverage a similar algorithm to that used by Community Notes on X, was initiated earlier this month. However, the crowdsourced fact checks have not yet been publicly visible on posts, but this is expected to change following the conclusion of Meta’s existing partnerships with fact-checking organizations. Kaplan noted, “The first Community Notes will start appearing gradually across Facebook, Threads, and Instagram, with no penalties attached.”
While Meta aims to eventually phase out fact-checking entirely, the company has not elaborated on its plans for Community Notes in regions outside the United States. This lack of clarity may be due to apprehensions expressed by officials in other countries, including Europe and Australia, regarding how this shift could potentially exacerbate the spread of misinformation globally.
The decision to end fact-checking in the US aligns with several other policy shifts that indicate a notable rightward trend for the social media platform, coinciding with the early days of President Donald Trump‘s administration. Alongside the termination of the fact-checking program, Meta has also reversed corporate policies, reduced protections for its services, and appointed a close ally of Trump to a significant position within the company.
