Zuckerberg says Meta will restore “free expression” on its platforms, including by replacing its fact-checking program with Community Notes, starting in the US

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the move in a post Tuesday morning. — Meta is scrapping its fact-checking program …

NBC News 2025-01-07 Bruna Horvath

Discussion

@tiredgenerally Matt on bluesky
corporate america is behaving like they fully expect a regime [image]
@quinnypig.com Corey Quinn on bluesky
Fair enough—but I don't ever want to hear a “correction” from a Meta PR person again. — When I write that Facebook is now selling message logs to advertisers, their corporate comms people can shut up and continue shitting the bed they've made. [embedded post]
@reckless Nilay Patel on bluesky
Only in Trump's America does Zuckerberg utterly cave to the demands of an unelected wannabe government censor and call it protecting free expression www.theverge.com/2025/1/7/243...
@evelyndouek Evelyn Douek on bluesky
I am all for revising content moderation approaches in the face of *evidence* that something is or isn't working. This is all a project of experimentation! It should be subject to revision. But companies should release the data to support their assertions. [embedded post]
@billkristolbulwark Bill Kristol on bluesky
“We're seeing this impulse to surrender across American society right now. Where the forces of authoritarianism never give up and never apologize, big chunks of liberal society are bargaining and capitulating without even trying to try to stay independent first.” — www.thebulw…
@evelyndouek Evelyn Douek on bluesky
Gives Meta spokespeople something to retweet though, so everyone can pat themselves on the back [image]
@evelyndouek Evelyn Douek on bluesky
Why is the Oversight Board putting out a press release effectively endorsing Meta's fact checking changes and welcoming Meta's new head of public policy? — This body has completely lost its compass. Embarrassing. — www.oversightboard.com/news/ oversig...
@rmac Ryan Mac on bluesky
Honestly would have been more appropriate for Zuckerberg to have made his announcement yesterday so it was on the anniversary of an event his social media platforms helped foment.
@patrickhowelloneill.com Patrick Howell O'Neill on bluesky
I have a parent who spends their time endlessly scrolling Facebook. Can someone shoot me links to good reporting on today's bullshit that I can share with them in order to give them the belated shove off the platform?
@jeffjarvis @jeffjarvis on bluesky
I was around at the beginning of Meta's fact-checking efforts, trying to convince them to do it well (e.g., around sourcing). It was pretty much a cluster-f as was much of what Joe Bernstein has called Big Disinfo.
@stephenburtch Steve Burtch on bluesky
Everyone parsing the Meta announcement about fact checking as if it was made in good faith... We all know it wasn't right? — Dissecting these announcements that just amount to doublespeak as if they mean exactly what they say is pointless.
@juddlegum Judd Legum on bluesky
Zuck bringing back political content AFTER Trump wins is just perfect
@stribs Robert Stribley on bluesky
With any luck, Facebook's changes will contain within them the seeds of the platform's demise.
@katestarbird Kate Starbird on bluesky
One remaining concern for me is that even people who WANT to find accurate information are going to be challenged to do it, because we're going to lose the groups that do this fact-checking work — unless non-profits step in to fill what is going to be a huge funding gap.
@katestarbird Kate Starbird on bluesky
Meta is dropping its support for fact-checking, which, in addition to degrading users' ability to verify content, will essentially defund all of the little companies that worked to identify false content online. But our FB feeds are basically just AI slop at this point, so? [emb…
@realworldrj @realworldrj on bluesky
“Journalism...is built on the economics of attention” — Facts are boring. Conspiracy theories are exhilarating. Besides, fact checks are happening in spaces where the lie consumers aren't. No Fox News, OAN, Newsmax, NY Post, WSJ oped consumer is reading Politifact or Kessler…
@katestarbird Kate Starbird on bluesky
Fact-checking wasn't “biased” against conservatives. Conservatives just shared more false content. If there's a sportsball game and one team fouls four times as much, it's not “biased” for the ref to call four times as many fouls against that team. [embedded post]
@campuscodi.risky.biz Catalin Cimpanu on bluesky
The age of social media and news outlets promoting, legitimizing, and defending kleptocracy is here. Watch your bums!
@campuscodi.risky.biz Catalin Cimpanu on bluesky
Propaganda officially goes mainstream today [embedded post]
@yoyoel.com Yoel Roth on bluesky
Genuinely baffled by the unempirical assertion that Community Notes “works.” Does it? How do Meta know? The best available research is pretty mixed on this point. — And as they go all-in on an unproven concept, will Meta commit to publicly releasing data so people can actual…
@justinschuh.com Justin Schuh on bluesky
In my experience running a real T&S team is an expensive, fraught, and thankless job. Facebook/Meta tried a lot of stuff after 2016, but none of it seemed to mesh with the larger company. So, I'm not surprised that they're throwing in the towel—and I guess we'll see if people v…
@davekarpf Dave Karpf on bluesky
Related point: — Four years ago, Facebook suspended Trump immediately after J6. — But that was ALSO immediately after Democrats won the two Georgia Senate seats (January 5th!), giving them control of both houses of Congress. — Meta only ever shows courage when it's convenie…
@lionelgeek Lionel Menchaca on bluesky
So... is what I'm seeing on Facebook is real or true? Maybe. Facebook's ‘fend for yourselves’ misinformation strategy. [embedded post]
@jaydolan Jay on bluesky
We're going to have a great time learning which of our family members are crazier than we thought and also which can't help themselves “Um, actually” in every post. [embedded post]
@justinschuh.com Justin Schuh on bluesky
Some very aggressive cost cutting here. They're dumping 3p fact-checker contracts, ditching a chunk of foreign hourly contractors for automation/crowdsourcing, and shifting all US hourly contractors to a low wage state. — The sucking up to Trump part may just be a bonus. — a…
@dgrand David Rand on bluesky
🚨In Nature🚨 — Meta is dropping fact-checking to avoid anti-conservative bias- but is there actually evidence of bias? — We this test empirically & find that conservatives — * ARE suspended more — * BUT share more misinfo — So suspension isn't necessarily evidence of bia…
@just-lil-ol-me @just-lil-ol-me on bluesky
Now that his bud got into office he's gonna apply some community notes🤬 [embedded post]
@helloyorick.fightins.online Yorick on bluesky
It should be noted that this shifts the labour from paid employees, to unpaid users, who are already being exploited by the platform through Meta's data harvesting and selling of user attention. Expect more layoffs, and “wow, look at the goosed revenue!” business reporting. [em…
@mathver Mathias Vermeulen on bluesky
The Threads post by Mark Zuckerberg includes this gem: www.threads.net/@zuck/post/D... @anneapplebaum.bsky.social [image]
@noupside Renee DiResta on bluesky
People have really short memories. This really hasn't worked well for X. It's going to work even less well for Meta. Community Notes is a great concept but it struggles to perform. — Is Meta going to have a transparent Notes program? How is Zuck going to incentivize people t…
@moonalice.com Roger McNamee on bluesky
Remember: when faced with a choice, Meta always chooses the path that ensures maximum harm to the largest number of users. — www.nbcnews.com/tech/social- ...
@thekvetch @thekvetch on bluesky
We really are piling in on the fascism. Because after all the hate and vitriol is allowed to thrive there, that is all that will be left. These companies really love the Fox News model and are eager to stoke the rage flames of the ignorant masses, so long as it pads the bottom …
@alistaircoleman Alistair Coleman on bluesky
So, what you're saying is that Facebook is going to be just like X, only with your racist aunt, and someone you went to school with whose profile picture is them holding a fish who calls everything woke. — www.nbcnews.com/tech/social- ...
@martinsfp @martinsfp on bluesky
“Please Mr Trump, don't hurt us” [embedded post]
@just-lil-ol-me @just-lil-ol-me on bluesky
The day Zuckerberg does something good for non rich people should be noted when it ever actually happens. For real [embedded post]
@brendannyhan Brendan Nyhan on bluesky
✔️ Money to the Trump inaugural — ✔️ Dinner at Mar-a-Lago — ✔️ Getting rid of fact-checking — ✔️ Putting UFC's Dana White (a key Trump ally) on Meta's board — Hard not to see these moves as an effort to avoid being politically targeted by an illiberal president. …
@manton.org Manton Reece on bluesky
This thread from Mark Zuckerberg could've been written by Elon Musk. The last thing we need is X and Threads adopting the same perspective on moderation. I've read it through a few times and I feel worse about it each time.
@nstenhouse Neil Stenhouse on bluesky
Disturbing that this announcement from Zuckerberg shows Facebook are not just preemptively changing standards to allow more racism and sexism but also eagerly spreading GOP lies about liberal bias and un-American censorship being behind all problems in this area www.threads.net/@…
@waterblusky @waterblusky on bluesky
Facebook to become the cesspit that is X. [embedded post]
@zuck Mark Zuckerberg on threads
1/ Replace fact-checkers with Community Notes, starting in the US.
@zuck Mark Zuckerberg on threads
It's time to get back to our roots around free expression and giving people voice on our platforms. Here's what we're going to do:
@brandeebarker Brandee Barker on threads
Not sure what platform to post this on, but we need a new platform to post on
@ianbetteridge Ian Betteridge on threads
The departure of Nick Clegg seems interesting given the timing of Meta's moderation changes. Was Clegg advising that these changes wouldn't fly in Europe? He's NDA'd up the wazzoo, so we won't find out for a while...
@wongmjane Jane Manchun Wong on threads
Really thrilled to see these changes! Thank you Mark for lifting these limitations, and continue standing up against foreign adversaries' threats to freedom of speech/press I'll definitely come back to use Threads more often if they implement this by removing the “political cont…
@karaswisher Kara Swisher on threads
This is Mark Zuckerberg's first and imho best comms head @brandeebarker who has officially run out of fucks (which actually happened a long time ago when we became friends). — RE: https://www.threads.net/...
@dsilverman Dwight Silverman on threads
When I read @zuck's thread on changes in Meta's approach to moderation, I think back to @reckless1280's contention that moderation IS the product. — At face value, everything he wrote seems fair on the surface - the freedom to speak freely is an ideal. But the ideal is often m…
@katienotopoulos Katie Notopoulos on threads
Great news, everyone - Mark heard you loud and clear: you want politics and news back on Threads! Only downside? Haha well — RE: https://www.threads.net/...
@elonmusk Elon Musk on x
This is cool [image]
@lindayax Linda Yaccarino on x
COMMUNITY NOTES FTW!!! 🔥 Fact-checking and moderation doesn't belong in the hands of a few select gatekeepers who can easily inject their bias into decisions. It's a democratic process that belongs in the hands of many. And as we've seen on X since @CommunityNotes debuted,
@markpinc Mark Pincus on x
The most successful leaders like zuck and benioff know how to ride the culture wave. This is a master class! They distance themself from the last where they were active participants, protraying themselves as victims too. Now theyre finally free to do whats right. Only they waited
@wexler Nu Wexler on x
Social media fact-checking can work in theory, but the politics of it are extremely difficult — at least in the US under Fed Republican control. It was a major pain point for the big platforms on the hill. Wish the companies who attempted it received more credit for trying.
@antoniogm Antonio García Martínez on x
A whole cadre of ‘misinformation’ experts sprung up to morally justify (and cash in on) the enterprise. For years, a much smaller group warned of where this would lead, and that 1A should be our guide to online speech. We were universally reviled. https://www.wired.com/...
@antoniogm Antonio García Martínez on x
I distinctly recall when, days after the 2016 election, Zuck posted FB would start adjudicating truth in posts. As a former employee, I was shocked that a company focused on free speech for all would spin up a censorship apparatus. That finally ends. [video]
@antoniogm Antonio García Martínez on x
OH in the group chat: “I guess Elon won that cage match after all.”
@eric_seufert Eric Seufert on x
Meta's decision to replace fact-checking with community notes and otherwise abrogate its position on policing misinformation is not a “right-wing policy” as described. Doctrinaire left-wing ideologues dominate the digital misinformation oversight complex: if anything, that Meta
@adrianweckler Adrian Weckler on x
Meta to scrap fact checkers and go to war with Donald Trump against the EU, he says. Looser safety rules on issues such as immigration and gender. Admits they"ll catch “less bad stuff” but says “trade off” is worth it. Huge pivot from Zuck and Meta. https://www.independent.ie/...
@mgeist Michael Geist on x
In past 24 hours, Canada's online harms bill dies and Meta ends third party fact checking as company says it censored too much content. Huge changes to Internet content landscape. For Canada, Meta not backing down on blocking news links and U.S. could join fight on C-11 rules.
@oversightboard @oversightboard on x
The Oversight Board welcomes the news that Meta will revise its approach to fact-checking, with the goal of finding a scalable solution to enhance trust, free speech and user voice on its platforms. Statement by Co-Chairs of the Oversight Board: [image]
@kylascan Kyla Scanlon on x
Full transcript included but a few interesting things - Reducing content moderation while scaling AI content could be incredibly profitable (especially because politics is another content vertical for engagement as he points out). The anti-censorship narrative is great because it…
@apompliano Anthony Pompliano on x
The vibe shift is real. Zuck is all-in on free speech. Once again, the people's voice is eventually heard. [video]
@dhh @dhh on x
I've given Zuckerberg a lot of shit over the years, but this is an incredible pivot. You can speculate about motives and authenticity all day long, but reducing political censorship in a world bent on pursuing it is worthy of unqualified applause. Bravo 👏
@johnbiggs John Biggs on x
This is all about traffic. Now that the Guy Everyone Hates is back in office, all the back and forth will be a goldmine as the Boomers and Millennials yell at each other in the Dingustown East neighborhood Facebook Group. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/ ...
@prem_thakker Prem Thakker on x
Finally pictures like this will trend 🙏 [image]
@sarafischer Sara Fischer on x
1/ Thread: I've covered the evolution of @Meta's fact-checking efforts for years. Here's how we got here: https://www.axios.com/...
@tomwarren Tom Warren on x
Meta unveiling big changes to Threads, Instagram, and Facebook today. Zuckerberg is abandoning fact checkers in favor of an X inspired Community Notes system in a move to restore “free expression” and reduce moderation mistakes https://www.theverge.com/...
@tomcoates Tom Coates on x
Fuck's sake.
@brianstelter Brian Stelter on x
“We're going to get rid of fact-checkers and replace them with community notes, similar to X, starting in the U.S,” Mark Zuckerberg announces [video]
@ajs Alyson Shontell on x
Watching tech billionaires prepare for the next era of Trump is fascinating
@mikebutcher Mike Butcher on x
Some may argue that this will open the floodgates on even higher levels of disinformation.
@teroterotero Tero Kuittinen on x
He went on Fox to tell the world he is getting rid of fact checkers...
@danprimack Dan Primack on x
Facebook adopting Community Notes, which regularly allows blatant misinformation to be loudly amplified for hours or days before being noted.
@basedbeffjezos @basedbeffjezos on x
Woah. 😲 Zuck going full anti-censorship, following Elon and X's lead 😤 Based Zuck arc and vibe shift complete ✅🔥 [video]
@hadas_gold Hadas Gold on x
Notably - Announcement made on Fox.
@nkulw Noah Kulwin on x
I had no idea Facebook and Instagram were still “fact checking” anything. Could have fooled me
@benthompson Ben Thompson on x
Zuckerberg references his “Georgetown Speech”; I wrote about it at the time, and the embrace of community notes very much makes the point https://stratechery.com/...
r/worldnews r on reddit
Meta is ending its fact-checking program in favor of a ‘community notes’ system similar to X
@cherri.tv @cherri.tv on bluesky
is that value ignoring enabling genocide because we can't bother to worry about hiring anyone to actually speak the language? those values, right? [embedded post]
@evelyndouek Evelyn Douek on bluesky
Joel Kaplan is lucky this statement won't be fact-checked. [embedded post]
@jeffjarvis @jeffjarvis on bluesky
As for Meta, I am much more disturbed about replacing Nick Clegg with Trumpist Joel Kaplan and the new board members. Zuckerberg is not just obeying in advance, he is paying tribune in advance. The extremists are cheering for they called fact-checking censorship. BS.
@grumplicio.us David Thiel on bluesky
Along with ending their fact-checking program and eliminating friction and de-ranking mechanisms, Kaplan appears to be implying that racism, misogyny and transphobia are now fair game on Meta properties. — about.fb.com/news/2025/01... [image]
@ebakerwhite Emily Baker-White on bluesky
again: moral arc going the wrong way — about.fb.com/news/2025/01...
@imyourchuckleberry @imyourchuckleberry on bluesky
So that's what they're calling it now.
@nickjcal Nick Calandra on bluesky
Yes. — Cause things have gone so well for Twitter by eschewing any responsibility to moderate their platform. — I'm all for free speech obviously. — But when platforms don't even enact their own terms of service why even have rules at all?
@jdoggolie @jdoggolie on bluesky
“a huge supporter of fake news”
@davidakaye David Kaye on bluesky
the Xification of Meta, wrapped in the trumpified/muskified pretext of free speech when in fact it's simply obedience before power. about.fb.com/news/2025/01... [image]
@helloyorick.fightins.online Yorick on bluesky
The values of a company that stole women's photos and then encouraged dickheads to vote on how fuckable they thought those women were. I suppose, technically, that is supporting “free expression.” [embedded post]
@mgeist Michael Geist on bluesky
Meta with a huge political shift on content moderation. Describes own platforms as having engaged in too much censorship, moves content moderation from California to Texas, work with Trump to focus on global expression rights. Has implications for Canada's C-11 and C-18. — ab…
@notdred @notdred on bluesky
The company was founded on *checks notes* putting together a collection of pictures of all the Harvard undergrad girls so Mark Zuckerberg could creep on them [embedded post]
@lids Adrian Shitmann on bluesky
“Free expression” for some
@lakewitchhouse @lakewitchhouse on bluesky
the values are “disregard for others” and “money” [embedded post]
@tslwhidbey Trisha Soncini Lane on bluesky
Fuckerberg is a huge part of why we're here in this moment. He let so much propaganda on fb.
@davidclinchnews David Clinch on x
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. We proposed a Community Notes-style approach almost 10 years ago to Facebook but it was deemed (by them) to be too expensive and not as good as algorithms back then.
@andymstone Andy Stone on x
New @MetaChief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan on @foxandfriends moments ago: “What we're doing today is we're getting back to our roots on free expression.” 1. Ending third party fact-checking program, moving to a Community Notes model https://about.fb.com/...
@brookesingman Brooke Singman on x
“We went to independent, third-party fact-checkers,” Kaplan told Fox News Digital in an interview. “It has become clear there is too much political bias in what they choose to fact-check because, basically, they get to fact-check whatever they see on the platform.”
@francisbrennan Francis Brennan on x
From @BrookeSingman with @FoxNews: “Meta is ending its fact-checking program and lifting restrictions on speech to “restore free expression” across...Meta platforms, admitting its current content moderation practices have “gone too far.” https://www.foxnews.com/...
@brookesingman Brooke Singman on x
NEW: Meta ends fact-checking program as Zuckerberg vows to restore free expression on Facebook, Instagram @Meta @finkd @facebook @instagram #Meta #Facebook #Instagram https://www.foxnews.com/...
@brookesingman Brooke Singman on x
NEW: @Meta says it sees “opportunities for partnership” with the incoming Trump admin on issues of free expression but also in “promoting American business and America's technological edge.” “Those are issues of great importance to Meta and our sector,” Joel Kaplan told me.
@francisbrennan Francis Brennan on x
🚨🚨🚨 “Meta ends fact-checking program as Zuckerberg vows to restore free expression on Facebook, Instagram” https://www.foxnews.com/...
@willricci Will Ricciardella on x
This is a big deal. Until their fact checking, FB was one of the places most people got their news. They took huge losses implementing this program. https://www.foxnews.com/...
r/Conservative r on reddit
Meta ends fact-checking program as Zuckerberg vows to restore free expression on Facebook, Instagram
@juddlegum Judd Legum on bluesky
According to Mark Zuckerberg, people who live in California are biased but people who live in Texas are objective [image]
@technursejon Jon on bluesky
😆 We are not a serious society. [embedded post]
@berniemichalik.ca Bernie Michalik on bluesky
The pace that Meta is taking to thwart off potential GOP threats is something. [embedded post]
@biwabankster @biwabankster on bluesky
Whatever the new king wants, I suppose😒
@bjetter Bill Jetter on bluesky
Meta's following in Twitter's foot steps. Time for a divorce.
@janesuit Jane Suiter on bluesky
Depressing but probably inevitable sign of the times after knee bending at Mar a Lago. Meta follows X and Musk to end fact-checking programme... www.nytimes.com/2025/01/07/b...
@tuckfrumplimpdix @tuckfrumplimpdix on bluesky
The Four Stages of Ideological Subversion according to Yuri Bezmenov. 1. Demoralization (15-20 years), 2. Destabilization (2-5 years), 3. Crisis (a few weeks to months), and 4. Normalization, which often involves authoritarian control and suppression of dissent to consolidate…
@peterdeep.com Peter Deep on bluesky
Now change “to remove concerns” to “to confirm concerns” and you've got it right.
@timkarr Tim Karr on bluesky
The Musk effect is taking hold at Meta, where Zuckerberg is abandoning third-party content moderation and fact-checking in favor of a questionable “community notes” model that routinely gets things wrong at X: — www.nytimes.com/2025/01/07/b...
@selviano Michael Selvidge on bluesky
It's MAGA week at Meta, what zany announcements of capitulation are coming tomorrow? Stay tuned to find out! [embedded post]
@stuntbox@mastodon.social David Sleight on mastodon
Countering lies with facts is not “censorship.” This is preemptive capitulation, wrapped in Orwellian double-speak. https://www.nytimes.com/...
@zuck Mark Zuckerberg on threads
5/ Move our trust and safety and content moderation teams out of California, and our US content review to Texas. This will help remove the concern that biased employees are overly censoring content.
@anildash Anil Dash on threads
Texas is in an all-out information war against many groups, censoring its kids' textbooks, censoring information on healthcare ranging from abortion to gender-affirming care, and censoring its *internet access itself* just this year. How can content moderation happen in a state …
@sfmcguire79 Steve McGuire on x
Haha, Zuckerberg says Meta is moving its trust and safety and content moderation teams from California to Texas so there will be “less concern about the bias of our teams.” [video]
@stokel Chris Stokel-Walker on x
Moving the burned-out remains of what little trust and safety they intend to retain out of California and into Texas is the most dog-whistly dog whistle you've ever heard
@bethanyshondark Bethany S. Mandel on x
Meta is moving their moderation teams out of California and into Texas because the woke Silicon Valley bubble is toxic and can't handle free speech. [image]
@jeffreyatucker Jeffrey A Tucker on x
The weirdest part is how he claims that all content moderation will move out of California and into Texas because Texans are actual normal people.
@micsolana Mike Solana on x
meta is moving “trust and safety” from california to texas, let the hysterical screeching commence
@esaagar Saagar Enjeti on x
Zuck announces Meta's content moderation team will be moved from California to Texas to insulate the team from cultural bias
r/politics r on reddit
Meta Plans to Alter FactChecking Program

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Zuckerberg says Meta will restore “free expression” on its platforms, including by replacing its fact-checking program with Community Notes, starting in the US

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