Meta scraps fact-checking program in major content moderation overhaul

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has announced sweeping changes to its content moderation practices, with chief executive Mark Zuckerberg unveiling plans to terminate its fact-checking partnership programme in favour of a community-driven approach.

In a video announcement on Tuesday, Zuckerberg outlined significant shifts in the company's strategy, citing concerns over excessive censorship and a desire to "get back to our roots". The changes will affect billions of users across Facebook, Instagram and Threads.

It's time to get back to our roots around free expression. We're replacing fact checkers with Community Notes, simplifying our policies and focusing on reducing mistakes. Looking forward to this next chapter.

Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday, January 7, 2025

The social media giant plans to replace its current fact-checking system with a community-based model similar to X's Community Notes, beginning with implementation in the United States. This marks a substantial departure from Meta's long-standing partnership with third-party fact-checkers.

Zuckerberg pointed to the election as a key factor in the decision, whilst criticising what he described as pressure from "governments and legacy media" to increase censorship. He acknowledged that the company's complex moderation systems, despite their sophistication, were prone to errors.

The company is also rolling back previous changes that had limited political content in users' feeds, signalling a significant shift in how Meta approaches political discourse on its platforms. However, Zuckerberg emphasised that strict moderation would continue for content related to drugs, terrorism and child exploitation.

As part of the sweeping reforms, Meta will also streamline its content policies, particularly around controversial topics such as immigration and gender identity. The company plans to shift its moderation focus towards what Zuckerberg termed "high severity violations", with greater reliance on user reporting for other infractions.

The announcement represents one of the most significant changes to Meta's content moderation approach since the company began implementing fact-checking measures.