Instant Insight

30-Second Take

• Meta is ending its fact-checking program in the U.S. and adopting a Community Notes model, similar to Twitter’s approach.
• The new system relies on users to write and rate notes to combat misinformation.
• This shift is driven by concerns over biases in expert fact-checking and excessive content moderation.

Quick Brief

2-Minute Digest

Essential Context

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, has announced it will replace its traditional fact-checking program with a Community Notes system. This decision follows similar steps taken by Twitter, now known as X, under Elon Musk’s leadership.

Core Players

• Meta – Parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads
• Joel Kaplan – Meta’s Chief Global Affairs Officer
• Elon Musk – Owner of X (formerly Twitter)
• Community Notes contributors – Users who write and rate fact-checking notes

Key Numbers

• 133,000 – Number of Community Notes users on Twitter, a model Meta is adopting
• 8.5% – Percentage of Community Notes on Twitter that are publicly visible
• 60% – Percentage of highly-rated Community Notes on Twitter that remain private

Full Depth

Complete Coverage

The Catalyst

Meta’s decision to replace its fact-checking program with Community Notes is driven by the realization that expert fact checkers have their own biases and that too much content was being fact-checked, leading to censorship issues.

“Too much harmless content gets censored, too many people find themselves wrongly locked up in ‘Facebook jail,’ and we are often too slow to respond when they do,” said Joel Kaplan, Meta’s Chief Global Affairs Officer.

Inside Forces

Meta’s current approach to content management has been criticized for being overly complex and ineffective. The new Community Notes model aims to address these issues by empowering users to contribute to fact-checking efforts.

This approach has been tested on X, where users decide when posts are potentially misleading and need more context.

Power Dynamics

The shift to Community Notes gives users more power in determining what content is accurate and what needs additional context. However, this also raises concerns about the reliability and consistency of user-generated fact-checking.

Expert fact checkers, who have traditionally played a crucial role in verifying information, will no longer be the primary source of fact-checking on Meta’s platforms.

Outside Impact

This change could have broader implications for how social media companies manage content. Other platforms may consider similar shifts, potentially altering the landscape of online discourse.

Stakeholders, including users and content creators, will need to adapt to these new guidelines and processes.

Future Forces

As Meta implements the Community Notes system, several key areas will be watched closely:

• Effectiveness in reducing misinformation
• User engagement and participation in fact-checking
• Impact on platform safety and user trust
• Potential for biases and inconsistencies in user-generated notes

Data Points

• June 2023: Twitter’s Community Notes program, a model for Meta’s new system, was criticized for its limited public visibility and effectiveness.
• Jan. 7, 2025: Meta announces the end of its traditional fact-checking program in the U.S.
• 122,000: Number of Community Notes written on Twitter, with only about 8.5% publicly visible.
• 133,000: Number of Community Notes users on Twitter.