Meta Changes Fact-Checking Norms in the U.S.: Will It Impact India?

META Mark Zuckerberg, who owns Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, announced last week that the company would stop working with third-party fact-checking organizations in the U.S. In simpler terms, these platforms will no longer use professional fact-checkers. Instead, Meta will rely on a system of "community notes," similar to the feature on X, where users can collaboratively add context and information to potentially misleading posts.

- Rakesh Kumar @New Delhi

ETA Mark Zuckerberg, who owns Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, announced last week that the company would stop working with third-party fact-checking organizations in the U.S. In simpler terms, these platforms will no longer use professional fact-checkers. Instead, Meta will rely on a system of "community notes," similar to the feature on X, where users can collaboratively add context and information to potentially misleading posts.

In a video posted alongside a blog post by the company on Tuesday, Zuckerberg stated that third-party moderators were "too politically biased" and that it was "time to get back to our roots around free expression." This announcement currently applies to the U.S. only, but there are concerns that it may eventually be implemented in other countries, including India. This decision will likely have repercussions on Indian fact-checkers who have been associated with Meta for many years.

What is Meta fact-checking and how did it start?