Meta Platforms (META) has announced that it is ending a fact-checking program on its social media platforms such as Facebook that was meant to counter disinformation.
Meta chief executive officer (CEO) Mark Zuckerberg said that the current fact-checking program will be replaced with a “community notes” system like the one found on X / Twitter.
In announcing the change, Zuckerberg cited a shifting political and social landscape, and a desire for Meta Platforms to embrace free speech.
The company is also changing its content moderation policies around political topics and undoing changes that reduced the amount of political content in users’ social media feeds.
The changes will impact Facebook and Instagram, two of the largest social media platforms in the world, each boasting billions of users.
Meta Platforms has been heavily criticized in the past for disinformation and political influence on its social media platforms – criticism that led the company to implement fact-checking policies in the first place.
However, Meta is now removing those guardrails ahead of the incoming administration of president-elect Donald Trump, with Zuckerberg saying that the fact checking had been a form of censorship.
“We’re going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies, and restoring free expression on our platforms,” said Zuckerberg in his social media post.
Meta Platforms is also eliminating policies that restricted topics on its social media platform around immigration, gender issues, and other hot-button topics.
Facebook is also moving its content moderation team from California to Texas, said Zuckerberg.
U.S. Republicans and right-wing organizations have long criticized Meta Platforms’ fact-checking program as unfair and favoring liberal viewpoints.
Zuckerberg has been currying favor with the incoming administration of president-elect Trump.
In recent weeks, Meta Platforms donated $1 million U.S. to Trump’s inaugural fund, named Republican Joel Kaplan to lead its global affairs team, and appointed Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) CEO Dana White, a longtime Trump ally, to its board of directors.
The stock of Meta Platforms has gained 72% over the last 12 months to trade at $617.89 U.S. per share.
