Meta is making a major change in how it handles misinformation on its platforms. Starting March 18, the company will launch Community Notes, a new crowdsourced fact-checking system, on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads in the United States.
The system is inspired by a similar initiative introduced by Twitter (now X) in 2021. Under Elon Muskโs leadership, X made Community Notes its primary way of addressing misleading content. Now, Meta is following suit by allowing users to fact-check posts. The move is expected to improve transparency and address concerns about bias in Metaโs existing fact-checking processes.
Meta aims to perfect Community Notes in the US before the global rollout
Meta executives have stated that they will focus on refining Community Notes in the US before expanding the feature to other countries. The US is Metaโs most profitable market, making it a high-stakes testing ground for this new approach. However, the company may face challenges in launching the system in regions like the European Union, where the European Commission is already investigating the effectiveness of Community Notes on X.
Some industry experts believe this move could also be part of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerbergโs strategy to align with the Trump administration. In the past, Meta has been accused of censoring conservative viewpoints, and this new approach may help the company address those criticisms.
In January, Zuckerberg first announced the initiative as part of a broader effort to support diverse perspectives on Metaโs platforms. Since 2016, Meta has relied on third-party fact-checkers to verify information, but Neil Potts, Metaโs VP of Public Policy, admitted that the system had flaws. He cited cases where false fact-checking labels were applied to an opinion article on climate change in Fox News and The Wall Street Journal. Additionally, Zuckerberg has publicly stated that Meta mistakenly dismissed concerns about COVID-19 vaccines as misinformation.
Meta hopes that Community Notes will offer a fairer and more scalable fact-checking process. However, the company clarified that the new system will not replace its existing Community Standards, which determine whether content violates policies on hate speech, scams, or other restricted content.
Community Notes aims to reduce misinformation, but challenges remain
Community Notes is introduced at a time when many tech companies are addressing concerns about bias in content moderation. X has positioned itself as a champion of free speech under Musk, while OpenAI recently announced changes to its AI training methods to promote intellectual freedom.
Rachel Lambert, Metaโs Director of Product Management, revealed that the company is basing its fact-checking system on Xโs open-source Community Notes algorithm. Meta opened applications for contributors in February, allowing users to submit fact-checking notes on posts across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Other contributors will then rate these notes as helpful, determining whether they will be displayed to other users.
Metaโs Community Notes will follow Xโs model by ensuring that notes only appear when contributors with opposing viewpoints agree on their accuracy. This method aims to prevent bias and ensure reliable fact-checking. However, even if a majority of contributors support a Community Note, it may not always be displayed. Additionally, Meta has stated that posts flagged with Community Notes will not be downranked in its algorithm.
While crowdsourced fact-checking systems like Community Notes have been praised for their transparency, they are not without flaws. A study published in Science found that users trust Community Notes more than labels from third-party fact-checkers. Another study from the University of Luxembourg revealed that posts with Community Notes reduced the spread of misinformation by 61% on average.
However, one major challenge is the speed at which these notes are added. Because Community Notes require agreement from contributors with different perspectives, fact-checks often appear after a post has reached thousands or millions of users. The same University of Luxembourg study found that many misleading posts never receive a Community Note due to a lack of consensus among contributors.
Despite these challenges, Metaโs new approach represents a significant shift in how the company moderates misinformation. As the system rolls out in the US, it remains to be seen whether it will effectively reduce the spread of false information while maintaining fairness and transparency.
