In a sweeping overhaul of its content moderation policies, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Tuesday that the company will end its longstanding fact-checking program and replace it with a community-driven system similar to X’s Community Notes. The changes, which affect Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, aim to simplify policies, reduce errors, and prioritize free expression, Zuckerberg said in a video statement.
“We’re going to get back to our roots,” Zuckerberg stated. “By replacing fact-checkers with community notes, starting in the U.S., we’ll reduce mistakes and restore free expression on our platforms.”
The decision comes amidst a politically charged landscape, with Zuckerberg pointing to recent elections and increasing criticism of social media companies’ moderation practices. He accused governments and legacy media of pushing for censorship and called the upcoming political climate a “cultural tipping point” toward prioritizing speech.
Meta will also undo prior changes that reduced political content in user feeds and relax policies on sensitive topics like immigration and gender. Automated systems will focus on “high severity violations,” including drug-related content, terrorism, and child exploitation, while lower-priority issues will rely on user reports.Acknowledging the challenges of balancing moderation, Zuckerberg said, “Complex systems make mistakes. Even if only 1% of posts are wrongly censored, that’s millions of people. It’s too much.” He admitted the changes could result in more harmful content slipping through but emphasized the trade-off was necessary to protect users’ rights to free expression.
In addition to the policy shifts, Meta will relocate its trust and safety teams from California to Texas, signaling a decentralization of its operations.
The announcement aligns Meta more closely with conservative-leaning platforms like X, which has drawn praise from Republicans for its community-driven moderation. The move follows reports of Meta’s efforts to strengthen ties with the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump, including a $1 million donation to his inaugural fund and the appointment of prominent Republican Joel Kaplan to lead its policy team.
Meta’s fact-checking program, introduced in 2016, had partnered with more than 90 organizations worldwide, including PolitiFact and Factcheck.org, to combat misinformation. Critics, particularly on the right, have long accused the system of political bias, a claim Meta denies.
While some applaud the shift as a win for free speech, others worry about the potential rise in misinformation. As Meta pivots to a more hands-off approach, the impacts on its billions of users—and the broader information ecosystem—remain to be seen.
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