Meta Ends Fact-Checking, Citing Bias; Adopts X-Like Community Notes to Restore Free Expression

Jan 7, 2025, 01:44 PM

Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced it is ending its third-party fact-checking program in the United States and will replace it with a community-driven system similar to X's Community Notes. CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated that the company aims to restore free expression on its platforms by reducing censorship and simplifying content moderation policies. The changes include lifting restrictions on certain topics such as immigration and gender and removing the reduction of political content in users' feeds. Zuckerberg acknowledged that the fact-checkers had been "too politically biased" and had "destroyed more trust than they built." Meta plans to implement these changes starting in the U.S., with intentions to expand globally. The move is inspired by the approach taken by Elon Musk's X, empowering the community to add notes or corrections to posts. Additionally, Meta intends to work with governments to push back against censorship worldwide.