Disinformation experts slam Meta's decision to end fact-checking in US

Zuckerberg's sweeping policy shift an attempt to appease Trump, analysts say

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Tech giant Meta's shock announcement that it is ending its US fact-checking programme triggered scathing criticism on Jan 7 from disinformation researchers who warned that it risked opening the floodgates for false narratives.

Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg announced the company was going to "get rid" of its third-party fact-checkers in the US, in a sweeping policy shift that analysts saw as an attempt to appease US President-elect Donald Trump.

"This is a major step back for content moderation at a time when disinformation and harmful content are evolving faster than ever," said Mr Ross Burley, co-founder of the non-profit Centre for Information Resilience.

Fact-checking and disinformation research have long been a hot-button issue in a hyperpolarised political climate in the US, with conservative US advocates saying they were a tool to curtail free speech and censor right-wing content.

Trump's Republican Party and his billionaire ally Elon Musk - the owner of social media giant X, formerly Twitter - have long echoed similar complaints.

Mr Burley said: "While efforts to protect free expression are vital, removing fact-checking without a credible alternative risks opening the floodgates to more harmful narratives."