Meta announces: That practice is coming to an end

Meta's founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg provided information about the company's new decision in an online video post.

Regarding the decision to end the "fact-checking" practice performed by third parties on content shared on Facebook and Instagram, Zuckerberg stated that they are making this change because fact-checkers have their own biases and content is being excessively moderated.

Admitting that Meta's approach of building complex systems to manage content on its platforms has "gone too far" and that it has made "too many mistakes" by censoring too much content, Zuckerberg noted that while they will continue to focus on illegal topics such as terrorism, child sexual abuse, and drugs, they plan to allow "more freedom of expression" by lifting restrictions on mainstream debates such as immigration and gender.

Stating that the U.S. has the strongest constitutional protections for freedom of expression in the world, Zuckerberg emphasized that there has been pressure on technology companies, saying, "It was very difficult that even the U.S. government pressured us for censorship over the last four years."

Zuckerberg noted that censorship efforts within the U.S. have "emboldened other governments around the world to go even further," and emphasized that American leadership is needed to protect freedom of expression globally.

Stating that he plans to cooperate with President-elect Donald Trump, who will take office on January 20, to counter increasing global censorship pressures, Zuckerberg said, "The recent elections also feel like a cultural turning point in prioritizing freedom of expression once again."

A SIMILAR PRACTICE WILL BE ADOPTED

Meta's Global Affairs Chief Joel Kaplan also shared details about the company's new policy.

Kaplan stated that instead of "fact-checking," they will transition to a practice similar to the "community notes" model used by Elon Musk's social media platform X, adding, "We have seen that this approach works on X. This allows communities to decide whether posts are potentially misleading and whether they need more context."

Explaining that the new system will be rolled out gradually over the next few months, Kaplan stated that the company will work to improve this practice throughout the year.

Meta's semi-independent Oversight Board, established to act as an arbiter on controversial content decisions, also reported that they welcomed the new decision and that they look forward to working on the new approach's contribution to freedom of expression.