It’s a small revolution in the world of social networks. The Meta group, which contains Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, announced last Tuesday that it was ending its information verification program in the United States. “We are going to get rid of fact-checkers and replace them with community ratings, similar to X, starting with the United States,” the group’s boss, Mark Zuckerberg, said on Facebook.
The decision, far from being politically insignificant, comes a few days before the inauguration of Donald Trump as president of the United States.
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What was the fact-checking system?
Until now, Meta has partnered with independent media and organizations to verify information on its networks. These were media outlets certified by the International Fact-Checking Network or the European Fact-Checking Standards Network, which were then responsible for identifying, reviewing and evaluating false information circulating on Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp.
“Our information verification partners give priority to statements that are proven to be false, and which are linked to a current event, benefit from strong popularity and have significant consequences,” specifies Meta on its site. More than 80 organizations, working in more than 60 languages, contributed. In France, it was Agence France-Presse, 20 Minutes, Décoders du Monde and France 24 Observers.
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The content examined by Meta’s partners was then labeled, to allow Internet users to have more context. Internet users were also informed directly if they tried to share the publication. Content identified as false, edited, or partially false by Meta partners was also less visible on social media, dropping out of recommendations or suggested content.
Why is Meta ending it?
“Fact-checkers have been too politically oriented and have done more to reduce trust than to improve it, particularly in the United States,” said Mark Zuckerberg. By ending it, the Meta boss hopes to be more successful in “providing people with information about what they see, and in a way that is less likely to give rise to conflicts of interest – and less subject to bias”.
What will the new system be?
Instead of fact-checking carried out by partner organizations, Internet users should soon see notes appear under potentially problematic publications, as is already the case on Elon Musk’s X network.
It will be directly Internet users who will write notes evaluating particular content as incorrect or misleading. “Community ratings will need to be agreed upon by people with different points of view to avoid biased evaluations,” Meta said in its press release. As is already the case on X, Meta will not contribute to these notes and will not be able to modify them.
Will it be applicable everywhere?
If Meta ends its fact-checking program, French users should not see any differences at first. Europe, protected by the Digital Service Act, indeed benefits from a reprieve.
“I spoke with the management of Meta France who assure me that this functionality will only be deployed in the United States for the moment”, indicated on X the Minister Delegate in charge of Artificial Intelligence and Digital, Clara Chappaz.
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What consequences?
The announcement of the elimination of this fact-checking service worried a number of players. The European Fact-Checking Standards Network said it was “disappointed” by the decision and warned that “the community notes model also has weaknesses”. Meta’s decision is “disappointing and constitutes a step backwards which risks having a paralyzing effect throughout the world”, also deplored the British fact-checking organization Full Facts.
For the International Federation of Journalism, the platform’s decision to do without independent media to define the truth “could further erode public trust in social media and news media as sources of truth.”
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