The company announced the end of its third-party fact-checking program, introduced in 2016, and plans to replace it with a new system called “Community Notes,” akin to the feature on Elon Musk’s platform X (formerly Twitter).
CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained the move as a step toward restoring free expression.
“The recent U.S. elections felt like a cultural tipping point, and it’s time to prioritize speech again,” he said.
The Community Notes system will allow users to provide context to posts, ensuring diverse perspectives are included. Unlike traditional fact-checking, Meta will not manage these notes but will rely on contributors with varying political views to maintain balance.
The fact-checking program had drawn criticism for alleged biases and overreach. Meta’s global affairs head, Joel Kaplan, admitted that mistakes were made, particularly regarding legitimate political discourse being flagged or suppressed.
“Experts, like everyone else, have biases. These surfaced in their choices of what to fact-check and how,” Kaplan said.
The changes align with Meta’s broader strategy to focus enforcement on high-severity violations, such as terrorism, child exploitation, and scams, while relying on user reports for less severe cases. Automated systems will also be fine-tuned to reduce mistakes that may restrict free expression.
Meta’s decision comes as Donald Trump prepares for his second term as U.S. president. The company appears to be recalibrating its relationship with the administration, elevating Republican policy executive Joel Kaplan to global affairs head and adding Trump ally Dana White to its board.
Trump welcomed the changes, calling Zuckerberg “impressive” and suggesting the move might be a response to his earlier threats against the CEO.
The rollout of Community Notes will begin in the U.S. over the coming months, with plans for refinement based on user feedback.
Meta will also restore visibility to political and civic content, previously de-emphasized due to user complaints, by implementing personalized recommendations.
Critics, however, have expressed concerns. The International Fact-Checking Network challenged Zuckerberg’s characterization of its members, asserting that their role has always been to provide context rather than censor. Others, like Ross Burley from the Centre for Information Resilience, labeled the move as political appeasement amid growing misinformation challenges.
While these changes currently apply only to the U.S., Meta faces scrutiny abroad, especially in the European Union, where platforms are held to stringent content moderation standards under the Digital Services Act.
Meta’s pivot could set the tone for broader shifts in the social media landscape.
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