‘Community Notes more effective than fact-checkers’: Mark Zuckerberg defends Meta’s content moderation changes

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has defended the company’s sweeping changes to its content moderation policies, which include scrapping its U.S. fact-checking program and reducing curbs on contentious topics like immigration and gender identity. The moves have stirred debate as the social media giant seeks to reposition itself amid political and cultural shifts.

In a post on Threads, Zuckerberg addressed concerns about the changes, stating: “No — I’m counting on these changes actually making our platforms better. I think Community Notes will be more effective than fact-checkers, reducing the number of people whose accounts get mistakenly banned is good, people want to be able to discuss civic topics and make arguments that are in the mainstream of political discourse, etc. Some people may leave our platforms for virtue signalling, but I think the vast majority and many new users will find that these changes make the products better.”

The revamped policies, announced Tuesday, will impact Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, three platforms with a combined user base of over 3 billion people globally. Key updates include the introduction of a “Community Notes” system, akin to the one used on Elon Musk’s platform X, and a shift away from proactively scanning for hate speech. Instead, Meta will rely on user reports for content review, focusing automated systems on high-severity violations such as terrorism, child exploitation, and scams.

Zuckerberg explained the rationale behind the changes in a video, stating: “We’ve reached a point where it’s just too many mistakes and too much censorship. It’s time to get back to our roots around free expression.”

The CEO also linked the timing of the policy shift to the cultural moment, saying the recent U.S. elections represented a “tipping point” in prioritising open speech.

The “Community Notes” system will roll out in the U.S. over the coming months, with plans to refine it throughout the year. While these changes will initially apply only to the U.S., Meta has no immediate plans to modify its fact-checking program in the European Union, where stricter regulations like the Digital Services Act require platforms to combat illegal content and misinformation.