Meta is set to replace its third-party fact-checking program with a new crowdsourced system called Community Notes, inspired by X (Twitter). Testing will commence in the United States on March 18, aiming to capture a broader range of user perspectives and minimize bias. The Community Notes system will depend on user contributors who meet specific eligibility criteria to provide context for posts and rate those notes. To ensure reliability, notes will only be published if they garner a broad consensus from users with diverse opinions, thereby promoting agreement across contrasting viewpoints.
To underpin the rating system, Meta will utilize X’s open-source algorithm. The company plans to gradually introduce the feature after initial testing, with aspirations for global expansion. The overall goal is to offer valuable context without affecting content distribution, emphasizing the need for agreement among those who typically hold opposing views. Previously, Meta’s social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, relied heavily on third-party fact-checkers to discern factual information from misinformation.
However, in January, Meta announced the discontinuation of the program in favor of this new crowdsourced model, believing that a wider array of user perspectives could yield a less biased approach. As of now, users in the U.S. who are 18 or older, have two-factor authentication set up, and maintain accounts in good standing for at least six months can become Community Notes contributors. Approximately 200,000 users have already shown interest, with waitlists still open. Contributors will play a vital role in this initiative, ensuring that notes receive approval from individuals with varied viewpoints.
Participants aiming to submit a Community Note must adhere to a 500-word limit while providing neutral, unbiased language and linking to reliable sources. Posts that include Community Notes will display a tag indicating user contributions, allowing access to the full note and supporting links. Notably, author names will remain anonymous, as Meta intends for notes to be judged on their merit, not on the contributors’ identities. Meta’s approach not only mirrors that of X but shifts toward adopting it directly, learning from existing frameworks to enhance its platforms.
The Community Notes feature will initially be available in multiple languages, including English and Spanish, with plans for further linguistic expansion in the future. Until the wider implementation of Community Notes, Meta will maintain its third-party fact-checking program in other regions.
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