In 2022, Elon Musk acquired Twitter and made a series of changes to the platform, including changing its name to X and introducing Community Notes, a feature that allows users to add context or fact-check misleading posts.
This approach differs from Meta’s model, which relies on third-party, independent fact-checking organizations to flag misleading posts on Instagram, Facebook, and Threads (which competes with X).
However, CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently announced that Meta would stop working with these organizations and instead implement an X-like community notes feature. Zuckerberg also unveiled a series of major changes to the company’s moderation policies and practices to give people more freedom of expression.
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Community notes will be added to the meta platform
Zuckerberg announced Tuesday that the social media company would stop working with third-party fact-checkers. In a video posted to Instagram and Facebook, Zuckerberg said the company’s content moderation approach too often resulted in “censorship.”
“Since Trump was first elected in 2016, established media outlets have consistently reported how misinformation is a threat to democracy, and we have made good faith efforts to address these concerns without becoming arbiters of truth,” Zuckerberg said. “But fact-checkers have become so politically biased that they have destroyed more trust than they built, especially in the United States.”
Zuckerberg said Meta would end its fact-checking program with trusted partners and replace it with a community-driven system similar to X’s community notes.
For those who don’t know, X’s community notes allow users to collaboratively add context or fact-check potentially misleading posts. If a Tweet appears to contain incorrect information or lack of context, users can submit a note providing additional information or correcting the inaccuracy.
Other users can then review these notes and vote up or down on contributions based on usefulness and accuracy. If your note receives enough support, it will appear below the original tweet to provide a balanced perspective and help inform others.
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The meta change sparked backlash from the fact-checking community.
But independent fact-checkers are not happy with this change.
“Fact-checking journalism never censors or removes posts. We add information and context to controversial claims, and expose fraudulent content and conspiracy theories. The fact-checking tools we use at Meta demand non-partisanship and transparency. “Follow the code of principles.” said Angie Drobnic Holan, Director, International Fact-Checking Network.
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Meta is also reducing censorship
Zuckerberg also revealed plans to overhaul Meta’s recommendation system, which determines what content users see. For years, the company has restricted political content, citing user feedback and concerns about the impact of social media on beliefs.
“We’ve built a lot of complex systems to moderate content, but the problem with complex systems is that they make mistakes,” Zuckerberg said. “If we censor just 1% of posts by mistake, that’s millions of people, and we’ve reached a point where there are too many mistakes and too many censorships.”
He added that Meta will remove some content policies on controversial issues, such as immigration and gender, and refocus automatic moderation for high-severity violations. Now the company will take a more personalized approach to political content, making it visible to people who want to see more of it in their feeds.
Additionally, Facebook will relocate its trust, safety, and content moderation teams from California to Texas. Zuckerberg also said Meta would work with the incoming Trump administration to promote free speech globally, but did not provide specific details.
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Kurt’s key takeaways
Meta’s platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, are more tightly governed compared to platforms like X, giving users less freedom of expression. The changes Zuckerberg announced Tuesday aim to relax those rules, allowing people to share their thoughts more freely. This may lead to more offensive content, but it is a trade-off for more freedom. The introduction of community notes is also a good change. The idea is that it gives users more control, rather than leaving power in the hands of a few people who are biased toward a particular political party or issue.
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