Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced on Thursday that it will be testing a new crowd-sourced fact-checking program named Community Notes, beginning March 18. This new initiative draws inspiration from a ratings system used by Elon Musk’s X.
Back in January, Meta discontinued its existing fact-checking system when CEO Mark Zuckerberg criticized the process for having a “political bias,” echoing common conservative complaints about the social media giant. This decision met significant resistance from media specialists and analysts, some of whom view it as a step backward.
Critics argue that halting fact-checking removes a safeguard against misinformation on Meta’s platforms. Dan Evon from RumorGuard, a project by the News Literacy Project, stressed the importance of fact-checkers as essential resources that provide context and clarity to misleading viral content. He emphasizes that without these checks, a narrative suggesting fact-checking is politically motivated might gain traction.
Meta’s initial efforts to combat misinformation date back to December 2016 following Donald Trump’s election as President. Responding to accusations of “fake news” circulating on its services, Meta at one point collaborated with over 100 organizations across more than 60 languages to fight false narratives.
The Associated Press opted out of Meta’s fact-checking program more than a year ago.
In the meantime, Community Notes is set to gradually take over the role of fact-checking but not immediately. U.S. users interested in joining the initiative can register, though their contributions will not appear right away. Meta plans slow admission from the waitlist to allow adequate time for refining its writing and rating systems before making notes publicly available.
Under this new system, Meta will not dictate what should be rated or written about. Notes will only be published when contributors with diverse viewpoints reach a consensus. Unlike the previous fact-checking system where posts identified as misinformation saw reduced distribution, Community Notes will not subject posts to distribution penalties.
While fact-checks will continue to be available outside the United States for now, Meta intends to expand Community Notes to a global audience eventually.
