Meta Platforms has given up on fact-checking its popular social media sites in the United States: Facebook, Instagram and Threads.
Tuesday's move, Meta's biggest recent overhaul of how it moderates political content on its service, will reduce restrictions on discussion of controversial topics such as immigration and gender identity in the United States.
Zuckerberg plans to implement a “community annotation” system similar to the one used on Elon Musk-owned X, rather than go through a formal fact-checking process to address questionable claims posted on the Meta platform.
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Previously, CEO Mark Zuckerberg tried to repair relations with US President Donald Trump, who is about to take office again on January 20.
Last week, yuan promotion Republican policy executive Joel Kaplan serves as global affairs chief and announced on Monday that he has Dana White elected Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO and Trump’s close friends, joining its board of directors.
“We've reached a point where there are too many errors and too much censorship. It's time to return to the roots of free speech.
He acknowledged that the recent US election played an important role in his thinking, saying that the election “felt like a cultural turning point that once again prioritized speech”.
Meta will also focus its automated systems on removing “highly serious violations” as well as illegal content such as terrorism and illegal drugs, Zuckerberg said. It will stop proactively scanning for hate speech and other types of violations and review such posts only based on user reports.
He added that the company would move its security team responsible for content policy and moderation out of California, including to Texas.
A Meta spokesperson declined to say which specific teams will be moving to Texas and whether any teams will move elsewhere. The spokesman also declined to cite examples of error or bias by fact-checkers.
Fact-checkers shocked
The end of the fact-checking program launched in 2016 came as a surprise to partner organizations.
“We had no idea this move was happening, and it's shocking to us. It's definitely going to impact us,” said Jesse Stiller, editor-in-chief of Check Your Fact.
head international fact-checking networkAngie Drobnic Holan took issue with Zuckerberg's characterization of his members as biased or picky.
“Fact-checking journalism never censors or removes posts; it adds information and context to controversial claims and debunks hoaxes and conspiracies. The fact-checkers used by Meta follow a code of principles that require nonpartisanship and transparency,” she said in a statement.
“Truth and facts serve everyone, not the right or the left, and that's what we will continue to serve,” said Kristin Roberts, chief content officer at Gannett Media.
Other partners, including AFP, did not immediately respond to requests for comment, while Reuters declined to comment. Meta’s independent oversight board welcomed the move.
Zuckerberg has expressed regret over some content moderation actions in recent months on topics such as Covid-19. Meta also broke from its past practice and donated $1 million to Trump's first fund.
Europe will continue fact-checking
“This is a major step backwards for content moderation at a time when misinformation and harmful content are growing faster than ever,” said Ross Burley, co-founder of the nonprofit. Information Flexibility Center.
“The move appears to be more about political appeasement than smart policy.”
A spokesperson told Reuters that Meta currently only plans changes for the U.S. market and has no immediate plans to end its fact-checking program in regions such as the European Union that have taken a more active regulatory approach to technology companies.
“They've come a long way – Meta. The guy (Zuckerberg) is very impressive,” Trump said when asked about the company's plans to end fact-checking.
He added that Zuckerberg may have been responding to threats against him.
EU surveillance measures to combat distorted information
Musk’s
X The Commission launched an investigation in December 2023, a few months after the feature was launched. A spokesman for the European Commission said it had taken note of Meta's statement and would continue to monitor the company's compliance in the EU.
The European Union's “Digital Services Act” will take effect in 2023, requiring large online platforms such as X and Facebook to deal with illegal content and public safety risks.
The law imposes rules on content moderation, user privacy and transparency. Any company found to be in breach will face fines of up to 6% of its global revenue.
Meta said it will begin gradually introducing community annotations in the United States in the coming months and improve the model within a year.
It will allow users to point out posts that may be misleading and require more context, rather than placing blame on independent fact-checking organizations and experts.
Meta said it does not interfere with the addition of community annotations to posts on its platform.
- Reuters Additional editing by Jim Pollard
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