Meta's fact-checking program officially ends on April 7th, but in the US
Meta has been conducting independent fact-checks to determine whether information posted on the platform is accurate, but this fact-checking program will officially end in the United States on Monday, April 7, 2025.
Meta's fact-checking program officially ends on Monday | Mashable
https://mashable.com/article/meta-fact-checking-program-officially-ends-monday
In January 2025, Meta announced that it would end its fact-checking program, which had been run by independent agencies since 2016 to prevent the spread of misinformation on Facebook. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained that the end of fact-checking was 'time to return to our roots: freedom of expression and giving people a voice on the platform,' but it was seen as a change in policy in light of the changing situation following Donald Trump's inauguration as president.
Meta's Mark Zuckerberg declares 'returning to the origins of freedom of expression,' announcing the end of fact-checking functionality and a shift to a community note format - GIGAZINE
Following the announcement of the end of Meta's fact-checking program, Google searches for how to delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads accounts have skyrocketed, and it has become clear that the announcement has generated a backlash from users.
After Meta ended independent fact-checking, Google searches for how to delete Facebook, Instagram, and Threads accounts surged - GIGAZINE
In response, Meta explained that it plans to continue its fact-checking program outside the US.
Meta plans to maintain fact-checking program outside the US - GIGAZINE
On April 5, 2025, Joel Kaplan, Meta's head of international policy, posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account, 'By Monday (April 7) afternoon, our fact-checking program in the US will officially end. That means there will be no new fact checks and no more fact checkers. In January 2025, we announced that our fact-checking program will be phased out and penalties will be eliminated. Instead of fact checks, community notes will gradually begin to appear on Facebook, Threads, and Instagram without penalty,' revealing that the fact-checking program in the US will end on April 7.
By Monday afternoon, our fact-checking program in the US will be officially over. That means no new fact checks and no fact checkers. We announced in January we'd be winding down the program & removing penalties. In place of fact checks, the first Community Notes will start…
— Joel Kaplan (@joel_kaplan) April 4, 2025
Meta announced that it was ending its fact-checking program in order to protect freedom of speech and fight political censorship, but civil rights and digital policy experts have pointed out that ending the fact-checking program will allow propaganda, misinformation, and fake news to flourish.
One social media platform that has been censoring content on its platform in the form of community notes is Elon Musk's X. However, since Musk bought Twitter and renamed it X, X has seen an increase in misinformation and hate speech, which has led to investigations by regulators such as the European Commission.
European Commission finally launches investigation into hate speech and fake news on X (formerly Twitter), triggered by Israel-Hamas war - GIGAZINE
Meta has already begun beta testing the Community Notes feature, and to become a Community Notes contributor , you must meet three requirements: be 18 years of age or older, have an account that you've used for at least six months, and have an account in good standing.
Meta has reportedly not applied community notes to paid ads, so Mashable pointed out that 'if you want to make outrageous or offensive comments, you can post them as paid ads.'
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