Meta is abandoning the use of independent fact checkers on Facebook and Instagram, replacing them with X-style « community notes » where commenting on the accuracy of posts is left to users.
In a video posted alongside a blog post by the company on Tuesday, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said third-party moderators were « too politically biased » and it was « time to get back to our roots around free expression ».
The move comes as Zuckerberg and other tech executives seek to improve relations with US President-elect Donald Trump before he takes office later this month.
Trump and his Republican allies have criticised Meta for its fact-checking policy, calling it censorship of right-wing voices.
Speaking after the changes were announced, Trump told a news conference he was impressed by Zuckerberg’s decision and that Meta had « come a long way ».
Asked whether Zuckerberg was « directly responding » to threats Trump had made to him in the past, the incoming US president responded: « Probably ».
