Meta has announced a major shift in its content moderation approach, revealing plans to dismantle its fact-checking program.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg made the announcement in a video on Tuesday, explaining that the company would replace the program with a new system allowing users to add context to posts, similar to Elon Musk’s X platform’s Community Notes feature, as reported by the Washington Post.
Zuckerberg attributed the change to ongoing issues with the fact-checking team, which had faced criticism for alleged censorship and errors in its assessments. He framed the move as a return to Meta’s core principles of prioritizing free expression, noting that recent developments, including Donald Trump’s return to the presidency, had contributed to a cultural tipping point in favor of speech freedom.
“We’ve reached a point where there have been too many mistakes and too much censorship,” Zuckerberg said. “The recent elections have also marked a tipping point, signaling the need to once again prioritize speech. We are going to return to our roots, focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies, and restoring free expression on our platforms.”
Under the new policy, Meta will prioritize tackling illegal content and high-severity violations while easing restrictions on more controversial topics.
This decision is part of broader trends within the tech industry, where companies are adjusting content moderation policies to align with a Republican-led government. Meta has recently appointed prominent Republican figures, including Joel Kaplan and Dana White, to senior roles and has worked to rebuild its relationship with former President Trump, including making a $1 million donation to his inauguration committee.
Fact-checking organizations that received funding from Meta expressed surprise and concern over the move, warning that dismantling the fact-checking program could hinder efforts to combat misinformation. Critics argue that relying on user-generated context may not be enough to address the spread of false information on the platform.
Meta’s new community notes system is set to roll out gradually throughout 2025. The company describes it as a way to foster diverse perspectives while minimizing allegations of bias.
