Meta Social Media Moderation Policy Enters a New Era: Abandoning Third-Party Fact-Checking
Washington, January 7 – Meta Platforms (Facebook and Instagram) is abandoning its third-party fact-checking system and will introduce a new "Community Notes" system in the style of X, where the responsibility for commenting on the accuracy of posts will lie with users.
In a video posted alongside a blog post by the company on Tuesday, Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, "It's time to get back to our core vision of free expression."
Meta's Head of Global Affairs, Joel Kaplan, who is replacing Sir Nick Clegg, wrote that the company's reliance on independent moderators was "well-intentioned" but had gone too far.
He noted, "Too much harmless content is being censored," and added, "Meta has often been in the way of the free expression we aimed to enable."
This change will be "implemented first in the United States" and is expected to roll out in the coming months. Meta has not clearly stated when or if it will be implemented in other countries.
The new system, which Meta says has "worked on X," will allow people with different viewpoints to add context or clarification to controversial posts through notes.
The company's blog post also mentioned that it would "undo the mission creep" of rules and policies – such as lifting restrictions on subjects like "immigration, gender, and gender identity," which have hindered political discussion and debate.
"It’s not right that things can be said on TV or on the floor of Congress but not on our platforms," it added.
These changes come as technology companies and their executives prepare for President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20. Trump has previously been a vocal critic of Meta and its content moderation approach.
However, their relationship has improved – in November, Mark Zuckerberg dined with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Meta has also donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund.
The new changes at Meta, especially Joel Kaplan replacing Sir Nick Clegg, are being seen as a clear signal that the company is adopting a new perspective on its moderation approach and political priorities.
