ZDNETFacebook owner Meta is killing off its current third-party fact-checking process in favor of a new system similar to the community notes used by X, formerly Twitter. Also known as Community Notes, Meta’s process will take a more hands-off approach, aiming to limit the number of posts taken down or restricted based on user complaints and other red flags.Initially rolling out in the US over the coming months and eventually expanding to other countries, Meta’s Community Notes will replace the existing fact-checking method used across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. In touting the new process, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg criticized the current system, calling it one that makes too many mistakes and censors too many posts.Also: Meta’s latest update is a devastating blow to advertisers – what you need to know”We built a lot of complex systems to moderate content, but the problem with complex systems is they make mistakes,” Zuckerberg said in a video posted on Facebook. “Even if they accidentally censor just 1% of posts, that’s millions of people, and we’ve reached a point where it’s just too many mistakes and too much censorship.”Current process smacks of censorshipIn a Meta page explaining how fact-checking works, the company said the current process uses independent fact-checkers who rate a post or ad for accuracy. Based on the review, Meta then decides whether the content should be taken down, labeled, or otherwise restricted. But that method has long triggered complaints from conservatives, who argue that it smacks of censorship. With the new political climate in the US, those voices are growing louder.Also: The one feature Bluesky really needs”The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point towards, once again, prioritizing speech,” Zuckerberg said in the video. “So we’re going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies, and restoring free expression on our platforms.”In a news post titled “More Speech and Fewer Mistakes,” Meta Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan also criticized the current process, saying too much harmless content is censored, too many people wind up in “Facebook jail,” and Meta is slow to respond to correct such mistakes. Toward that end, the new Community Notes feature will work similarly to the one on X, where the broader user community decides which posts are misleading or inaccurate and which ones need more context. More
