Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, has announced major changes to Facebook's content moderation policies, including removing fact-checkers and implementing a community-driven approach similar to Elon Musk's X. Zuckerberg cites concerns over political bias as the reason for the change and plans to relocate content moderation teams from California to Texas. This move aims to restore trust and promote open discourse on the platform and will start in the US before potentially expanding globally.
In an unexpected move, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg declared that the company would be overhauling its content moderation strategies. The social media giant will no longer rely on third-party fact checkers, opting instead to implement the "community notes" feature from Elon Musk's social network, X. Zuckerberg cites the growing cultural trend towards prioritizing free speech and a desire to reduce censorship as reasons for the change. This decision comes after a turbulent relationship between Zuckerberg and President-elect Donald Trump, but with recent events, it appears that the CEO may be taking a cue from Musk to align himself with the incoming administration.
Facebook and Instagram's parent company Meta will be replacing its fact-checking systems with a new "community notes" model, according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg. In a video message, Zuckerberg cited concerns over censorship and political bias as the reasons for the change, stating that Meta will focus on restoring free expression on its platforms. This shift comes after widespread debate and pushback from governments and media outlets over the potential harm of online content.
In a major shift, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads will no longer use fact-checkers to moderate content, instead relying on community notes similar to X. The move is intended to promote free speech and reduce mistakes in content moderation. Additionally, the company will be moving its trust and safety teams responsible for content policies and moderation from California to Texas and scrapping restrictions on topics like immigration and gender identity. However, there is a trade-off as the company admits it will catch less bad content but also reduce the number of innocent posts and accounts that are accidentally removed.
Elon Musk, the owner of X, is making bold moves to transform the platform into an “everything” app. Part of this evolution includes changes to the blocking feature, which would allow blocked accounts to view public posts and media. This aligns with Musk's vision of creating a more open and engaging experience for users. Additionally, X is also working on introducing a new Community Notes feature, aiming to promote informed and respectful discussions among users. These changes reflect Musk's goal of revolutionizing social media and redefining how we connect with others.
It seems like X may be implementing a downvote feature for replies on its platform, a feature that was previously tested back in 2021 before Elon Musk's acquisition of the company. Code references found in X's iOS app suggest that the social network is considering adding downvotes in order to better rank replies. While this doesn't guarantee that the feature will be released, both an X engineer and Elon Musk have commented on its potential use. Moreover, the idea of leveraging negative signals to improve rankings aligns with X's current crowd-sourced fact-checking feature, Community Notes.