Biden blasts 'shameful' Meta decision to scrap US fact-checking

Global fact-checking network also warns of harm if policy is expanded to other countries

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US President Joe Biden blasted Meta on Jan 10 for scrapping fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram in the US, calling the move "really shameful" after a global network warned of real-world harm if the tech giant expands its decision to other countries.

Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg triggered alarm on Jan 7 when he announced that the Palo Alto company was ditching third-party fact-checking in the US and turning over the task of debunking falsehoods to ordinary users, under a model known as "Community Notes", popularised by X.

The decision was widely seen as an attempt to appease President-elect Donald Trump, whose conservative support base has long complained that fact-checking on tech platforms was a way to curtail free speech and censor right-wing content.

"I think it's really shameful," Mr Biden told reporters at the White House when asked about the announcement.

"Telling the truth matters," he said, adding that the move was "completely contrary to everything America's about".

The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) has warned of devastating consequences if Meta broadens its policy shift beyond US borders to the company's programmes covering more than 100 countries.