Meta Ends US Fact-Checking Program

- Meta's third-party fact-checking program began in December 2016, following criticism that "fake news" on the platform had influenced the U.S. presidential election. The program grew to include over 100 organizations in more than 60 languages. - In announcing the change, CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated the program had become "too politically biased" and a "tool to censor," expressing a desire to return to the company's "roots around free expression." - The "Community Notes" system that replaces fact-checkers relies on a crowd-sourced model where volunteer contributors add context to posts. An algorithm then surfaces notes that receive positive "helpfulness" ratings from people who typically disagree in their ratings, a method intended to find cross-ideological consensus. - Research on the effectiveness of X's Community Notes system, which Meta is emulating, is mixed. One study found that posts with notes saw average drops of 46% in reposts and 44% in likes, while other analyses suggest the system is often too slow to counter a post's initial viral spread. - The decision to end the program currently only applies within the United States; Meta has stated there are "no immediate plans" to end third-party fact-checking outside the U.S. - From its inception, Meta's program had notable limitations, including a policy that exempted speech from politicians from being fact-checked. Fact-checking partners could only rate content for accuracy; they did not have the authority to remove content or suspend accounts. - The policy change has raised significant concerns among advertisers regarding brand safety. Advertising accounts for 97% of Meta's revenue, and some analysts believe a potential increase in harmful content could risk a portion of its $135 billion in annual ad sales if brands lose trust in the platform.