Meta’s chief global affairs officer, Joel Kaplan, announced on April 7 that the era of fact-checking on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads is over. Meta, formerly known as Facebook, had been using third-party fact-checkers approved by the International Fact-Checking Network to verify posts since its inception, but now they will rely on Community Notes generated by users. This change comes on the heels of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to wind down the fact-checking program in early January, just before the inauguration of President Donald Trump for a second term.
Community Notes were introduced by Meta in 2021, but fact-checking was still being utilized alongside them until Elon Musk purchased the platform in 2022. It is not yet clear whether Community Notes are as effective as professional fact-checking, but both methods are struggling to combat the rise of misinformation on social media platforms. Anjana Susarla, a specialist in AI and social media at Michigan State University, highlights the challenges of dealing with the vast volume of posts and ensuring user engagement with fact-checking or Community Notes. Without data on which approach is more effective, it remains uncertain how users will respond to these changes.
Susarla suggests that an alternative approach, similar to Wikipedia’s crowdsourcing model with community editing, could help verify information on large platforms like Meta. However, it remains to be seen whether this method would be successful in building trust among users. With Meta’s decision to shut down fact-checking coinciding with global market turmoil over tariff concerns, Susarla points out the potential consequences of users turning to social media for information during critical moments. The lack of clarity on the effectiveness of Community Notes and the absence of large-scale studies on the topic further fuel uncertainty surrounding Meta’s new approach.
The shift away from fact-checking and towards user-generated Community Notes raises questions about the future of combating misinformation on social media platforms. The scale of false information and the challenge of maintaining user trust in the absence of fact-checking mechanisms add complexity to Meta’s decision. Susarla emphasizes the importance of understanding user engagement with different information verification methods and the need for further research to determine the most effective approach. Despite the uncertainties surrounding Meta’s new strategy, the platform’s decision to phase out fact-checking marks a significant shift in how social media companies address the issue of misinformation.
