Meta abandons fact-checking: freedom of speech or a path to disinformation?
What we know
Meta, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, has announced that it will stop working with independent fact-checkers in the US. Instead, it plans to introduce a "Community Notes" system similar to the one used on the X platform (formerly Twitter). This initiative, according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is aimed at reducing censorship and supporting freedom of expression.
The changes include:
- Abandonment of fact-checking: Meta is ending its cooperation with independent fact-checkers, claiming that they have become "too politically biased" and "destroyed more trust than they created".
- Introduction of "Community Notes": The new system will allow users to add notes to potentially misleading posts, providing context and additional information.
- Changes in content moderation: The company plans to reduce automated moderation, focusing on serious violations such as terrorism and child exploitation, while less significant violations will be handled through community reports.
- Political content recommendations: Meta plans to increase the amount of political content in users' feeds, returning to its roots and supporting freedom of expression.
Reaction and impact
Experts and civil society organisations have expressed concern that such changes could lead to an increase in the spread of disinformation and hate speech on Meta's platforms. The lack of professional fact-checking may make it more difficult to combat fake news, especially in the context of important public issues such as healthcare and climate change.
At the same time, it became known that Zuckerberg moved the Meta moderation team from California to Texas, calling California too "biased". This provoked a strong public reaction, as cowboy Texas is clearly not associated with freedom and impartiality. Perhaps all of these changes are aimed at improving financial performance for investors.
It should be noted that people form their perception of the world based on information from sources they trust. Algorithmic feeds and circles of friends on social media now allow for the creation of very large "bubbles" with certain worldviews. This has also become the basis of the business of "bot farms", where a large number of commentators form a background that people tend to accept as true, or at least as an acceptable common point of view. Modern social media are moving along the path of not fighting this marginalisation of society, but rather improving their financial performance and imitating audience engagement.
On the other hand, supporters of the change believe that it will facilitate a freer exchange of opinions and reduce cases of unlawful censorship. The move to Community Notes may engage the community in more active participation in content moderation, but the effectiveness of this approach remains to be seen.
Source: www.theverge.com
