Meta Has Removed Fact-Checking From Its Websites
Image Source: Jurist.org
Big changes are coming to Meta’s Facebook, Instagram, and Threads sites. Founder Mark Zuckerberg shared a video on his social media platforms announcing that the company would phase back fact-checking and replace it with a community notes feature similar to the current system on X. He explained, “We plan to phase in Community Notes in the US first over the next couple of months, and will continue to improve it over the year. As we make the transition, we will get rid of our fact-checking control, stop demoting fact-checked content, and, instead of overlaying full-screen interstitial warnings you have to click through before you can even see the post, we will use a much less obtrusive label indicating that there is additional information for those who want to see it.”
Zuckerberg claimed that while fact-checking started with good intentions, the result was a loss of trust and a perception of politically biased fact-checkers. He reported that there would be less restrictions on speech about gender and immigration. The social media giant also expressed concern about increasing calls for censorship around the world. He said, “The US has the strongest constitutional protections for free expression in the world. Europe has an ever-increasing number of laws, institutionalizing censorship, and making it difficult to build anything innovative there. Latin American countries have secret courts that can order companies to quietly take things down. China has censored our apps from even working in the country.”
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Image Source: KTNV
He continued, “The only way that we can push back on this global trend is with the support of the US government, and that's why it's been so difficult over the past four years when even the US government has pushed for censorship.” In addition to this major change, Meta is also bringing back civic content for users interested in politics. See the video below for Zuckerberg’s full announcement.
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Source(s): Nerdist, Meta, Tech Policy Press
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