Meta Has Started to Shut Down Its Independent Fact-Checking Program. It’s Replacing It With a Tool That Uses X’s Algorithm

Javier Márquez

Writer

• Adapted by:

• Alba Mora

Shortly before President Donald Trump returned to the White House, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company would end its third-party fact-checking program. He said Meta would adopt an X-style Community Notes system instead. Notably, X is owned by Elon Musk, one of Trump’s key allies. With this change, Meta aims to empower users to identify and contextualize misinformation on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.

When Zuckerberg made the announcement, it was evident that the company had high aspirations for this new approach. However, Meta will only implement its new Community Notes in the U.S. From the beginning, there were no indications of a rollout in the European Union, where the Digital Services Act could pose challenges. With more details about the initial rollout available, Meta users can better understand how the new system will work.

Meta has set a timeline for the start of its Community Notes. Meta announced on Thursday that it’ll begin testing Community Notes on March 18, when contributors to the program will be able to add context to posts. As expected, the rollout will be gradual and will be limited to the U.S. for now.

How will the new program work? Meta’s Community Notes will allow users to add context to posts that may be misleading or need additional information. However, not every note will be published immediately. An evaluation process will ensure that contributions are useful and reflect diverse perspectives.

Here’s how it’ll work:

1. A contributor identifies a post on Facebook, Instagram, or Threads that requires context. For example, a viral post says, “Bats are completely blind and rely only on sonar to move.”
2. The contributor writes an explanatory note. It must be a maximum of 500 characters and include a link to a reliable source. For example: “This is a common myth. Bats aren’t blind. They have good vision and use echolocation, hearing, and smell to navigate their environments. More info here: [link].”
3. Other contributors review the note and decide whether it was helpful. The note isn’t automatically published. It requires support from individuals with varying perspectives, not just a simple majority.
4. If the note receives enough support, Meta publishes it. The note is shared alongside the original post to provide context. The post remains visible but now includes the explanatory note.

Meta will use X’s algorithm. As a starting point, Meta has decided to implement X’s Community Notes algorithm, which powers a similar feature on Musk’s social media platform. X’s open source system is available on GitHub, meaning anyone can audit and reuse it.

However, Meta’s use of the X algorithm is only a preliminary step. The company plans to use this as a foundation to develop its own version. “As our own version develops, we may explore different or adjusted algorithms to support how Community Notes are ranked and rated,” the company explained in a press release.

No penalties. Meta said there will be no penalties for content distribution in its new anti-fake news system. In the previous fact-checking program, flagged posts could lose visibility. However, Community Notes will provide additional context without impacting who can see them or how far they can reach.

Community Notes won’t be visible at first. As mentioned earlier, the new system will begin its initial rollout on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads on March 18, but users won’t immediately see the notes. The program is currently in an evaluation phase. Full deployment is expected once Meta is confident in the system’s functionality. During this period, the company plans to make further adjustments and improvements to the system.

The fact-checking tags from the old system will continue to be displayed in the U.S. until the new system is widely deployed in the country.

Image | Mariia Shalabaieva | Meta

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