Pierluigi Paganini
January 08, 2025
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the fact-checking program should be ended and replaced with a community-driven system. Zuckerberg cited a shift toward free speech and explained that the new model will be similar to X’s Community Notes.
Meta’s introduced its fact-checking system in 2016, it relied on over 90 certified third-party organizations, including PolitiFact and Factcheck.org, to review posts in 60+ languages.
Meta also announced big changes in content moderation, increasing political content in feeds across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, impacting billions of users.
Zuckerberg revealed that the election was a key factor for his move, he criticized governments and legacy media for pressuring increased censorship.
“We’re going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies and restoring free expression on our platforms,” said Zuckerberg. “More specifically, here’s what we’re going to do. First, we’re going to get rid of fact checkers and replace them with community notes similar to X, starting in the U.S.”
“The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point towards, once again, prioritizing speech,” he said. “So we’re gonna get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies and restoring free expression on our platforms.”
Zuckerberg admitted that the systems used by the company for content moderation make too many mistakes that potentially impacted millions of people.
The company is committed in using automated moderation systems only to target “high severity violations” and rely on users to report other violations.
“Zuckerberg’s announcement comes as CEOs and business leaders across sectors are currying favor with the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump. Meta, along with other tech companies, donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund, and ahead of the election, Zuckerberg praised Trump in an interview with Bloomberg Television without offering an outright endorsement.” reported NBC News. “Ahead of Trump’s inauguration, Meta has reportedly appointed Republican Joel Kaplan to lead its policy team, and on Monday, the company announced that UFC’s Dana White, a long-time supporter of Trump, would join its board.”
Zuckerberg stated Meta will collaborate with the Trump administration to promote global free speech, pushing back against government censorship, including U.S. efforts.
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