Meta is ending fact checking, previously heralded as fighting the spread of misinformation, in a move aligning with the incoming Trump administration but which analysts see as a problem for brands and advertisers.
Founder Mark Zuckerberg said he was restoring “free expression” to Facebook and Instagram after the current moderating system resulted in “too much censorship”.
“It's time to get back to our roots around free expression,” he said in a video message.
“We're replacing fact checkers with Community Notes, simplifying our policies and focusing on reducing mistakes.”
He described community notes, which will first be used in the US, as being similar to Elon Musk’s X where users can alert others to potentially misleading posts which might need more “context”.
Analysts see the move as a peace offering to the new administration of president-elect Donald Trump.
Meta suspended Trump’s accounts after the January 6, 2021, Washington invasion by Trump supporters.
This latest free speech stand also aligns with Musk’s move at X to remove restrictions on speech.
Musk is suing advertisers because they have acted in unison to stop spending money with him. Advertisers say this is all about brand safety.
Zuckerberg’s love for Musk’s tool is in stark contrast to previous public feuding including an agreement to take each other on in a cage match.
Emarketer principal analyst Jasmine Enberg said Meta’s move will elate conservatives, who’ve often criticised Meta for censoring speech.
However, it will “spook” many liberals and advertisers.
"In a shift driven largely by Trump ally and X-owner Elon Musk, third-party fact-checking has gone out of fashion among social executives,” said Enberg.
“Social platforms have become more political and polarised, as misinformation has become a buzzword that encompasses everything from outright lies to viewpoints people disagree with.
"But brand safety remains a key factor in determining where advertisers spend their budgets. Social media is already a minefield for content that many brands deem unsafe, and Meta’s change could exacerbate those problems.
"Meta’s massive size and powerhouse ad platform insulate it somewhat from an X-like user and advertiser exodus. But any major dropoff in engagement could hurt Meta’s ad business, given the intense competition for users and ad dollars."
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