Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has announced that it will begin testing its new ‘Community Notes’ fact-checking program on March 18, 2025. The initiative is inspired by Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) and will focus on crowd-sourcing-based verification instead of traditional fact-checking.

The move comes after Meta discontinued its official fact-checking program in January 2025. CEO Mark Zuckerberg argued that fact-checkers had become politically biased. However, the decision was heavily criticized and many media experts and misinformation analysts warned that it could amount to legitimizing misinformation.

Why did Meta discontinue its traditional fact-checking program?

Meta first introduced fact-checking in December 2016, when serious concerns were raised about the spread of ‘fake news’ on the platform. Under this initiative, the company partnered with more than 100 organizations in more than 60 languages ​​to fight misinformation, although the company decided to shut it down in early 2025. Meta said that the program had become politically biased. Some critics believe that removing fact-checking could undermine efforts to prevent misinformation, especially when social media plays a large role in influencing public opinion in today's world.

Dan Evon, the lead author of RumorGuard (a misinformation tool), criticized the move, saying, "Fact-checkers provide a vital service, presenting viral claims with the necessary context. Removing them legitimizes the false notion that fact-checking is politically biased." How will Meta's 'Community Notes' system work?

Meta's 'Community Notes' will be similar to System X's (Twitter) fact-checking tool, with users able to add additional information and context to posts.

How will 'Community Notes' work?

Users in the US will be able to sign up and apply to contribute to 'Community Notes'.

Meta will gradually approve new contributors on a waitlist basis.

Users can write and rate notes, but these will not be published immediately.

No note will be public until contributors with different ideologies agree on its accuracy.

Like the earlier fact-checking program, it will not reduce the reach of any post.

When will 'Community Notes' launch globally?

Meta has confirmed that its beta version will launch in the US on March 18, 2025.

Outside the US, traditional fact-checking partnerships will continue.

Meta has hinted that ‘Community Notes’ will be expanded globally in the future, but no specific timeline has been shared at this time.

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