
Meta Mark Zuckerberg, who owns Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, announced last week that the company would stop working with third-party fact-checking organizations in the US. In simpler terms, these platforms will no longer use professional fact-checkers. Instead, Meta will rely on a system of “community notes”, similar to the feature on X, where users can collaboratively add context and information to potentially misleading posts.
In a video posted alongside a blog post by the company on Tuesday, Zuckerberg stated that third-party moderators were “too politically biased” and that it was “time to get back to our roots around free expression”. This announcement currently applies to the US only, but there are concerns that it may eventually be implemented in other countries, including India. This decision will likely have repercussions on Indian fact-checkers who have been associated with Meta for many years.
What is Meta fact-checking and how did it start?
Meta’s fact-checking programme was initiated in 2016 to combat misinformation on its platforms. It involved collaborations with independent fact-checking organisations certified by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN). These organizations would review and rate the accuracy of posts on Facebook and Instagram, providing users with additional information and context. This aimed to empower users to make informed judgments about the authenticity of the content they encountered.
Meta believes that shifting to the crowdsourced Community Notes will foster a more diverse and community-driven way of addressing misinformation on its platforms.
Why Community Notes?
Meta explained that the independent fact-checking programme didn’t meet expectations. The company noted that experts, like everyone else, have their own biases and perspectives, which influenced their choices about what to fact-check and how. Meta stated that this led to over-enforcing rules, limiting legitimate political debate, and censoring trivial content. Through Community Notes, Meta aims to allow more speech by lifting restrictions on some topics that are part of mainstream discourse and focusing its enforcement on illegal and high-severity violations.
“We will take a more personalised approach to political content, so that people who want to see more of it in their feeds can,” explained Joel Kaplan, chief global affairs officer at Meta. Once Community Notes is launched, Meta won’t write or decide which notes appear; they will be written and rated by contributing users. It will require agreement among people with a range of perspectives to help prevent biased ratings, company said.
Potential impact on India
There will be no immediate change in fact-checking of content posted on Meta in India as the Community Notes feature is limited to the US for now. However, this could change as and when Meta expands to other countries.
At the moment, Meta has 12 fact-checking partners in India, including mainstream publishers such as PTI, AFP, India Today Fact Check, and The Quint, as well as several smaller firms. Many small fact-checkers are heavily reliant on funding from Meta. If Meta shifts away from its current approach to fact-checking, it could have significant consequences for these Indian organisations. Reduced funding from Meta could lead to job losses and even the closure of some smaller fact-checking organisations.
Furthermore, fact-checkers rely on Meta platforms (Facebook and Instagram) to reach a wider audience. A decrease in Meta’s support for independent fact-checking could significantly impact their visibility and reach. Many fact-checking organizations have built their operations around their partnerships with Meta, making it challenging to adapt to a new model and find alternative funding sources and distribution channels.
While the immediate impact in India may be limited, the potential long-termconsequences for Indian fact-checkers are concerning.