Amid the likelihood of a Parliamentary committee issuing a summons to Meta for a “factually incorrect” statement regarding the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Meta has announced the termination of its third-party fact-checking program. The company has clarified that ending the fact-checking program in the U.S. is just the beginning, with plans to extend this to other countries. This development is a cause for concern in India, as the country is already grappling with another misleading remark from its founder, Mark Zuckerberg. Tech experts believe that Facebook will soon apply this policy in India as well.

Another concern haunting India is that for many Indian organizations, being part of Meta’s third-party fact-checking program is their primary source of funding. The new policy will make them jobless. Fact-checkers also depend on Meta platforms to gain visibility for their work. Facebook and Instagram are the main sources of traffic to their websites, and if their fact-checks were no longer featured on these platforms, it could significantly reduce the number of visitors to their sites.

Meta To End Its Third Party Fact Checking Program

Meta’s fact- checking program was initially introduced to combat the spread of misinformation on its platforms. Under this initiative, 90 organisations across 130 countries partners with the Facebook, Instagram and Threads. The program was started in 2016. It will now switch to crowdsourced fact-checking model like ‘X’ community notes.

Zuckerberg said in a video. “More specifically, here’s what we’re going to do. First, we’re going to get rid of fact-checkers and replace them with community notes similar to X, starting in the US.”

“Just like they do on X, Community Notes will require agreement between people with a range of perspectives to help prevent biased ratings,” Meta said in a blog post.

Key Points:

Community Notes System: This allows users to add annotations to posts they believe may be false or misleading

Free Speech Focus: Zuckerberg cited the 2024 U.S. election as a cultural tipping point, pushing Meta to prioritize speech freedom over moderation. Critics argue this move could encourage the spread of misinformation.

What Mark Zuckerberg Said On Ending The Program

According to The New York Post, Zuckerberg defended the decision to end the fact-checking program by framing it as part of a larger strategy to promote “free expression.” He referred to the 2024 election as a pivotal moment, calling it a “cultural tipping point” that made this change necessary in order to prioritize open speech and reduce content moderation.

How US Reacted

Experts interpret the Meta Chief’s move so as to improve relations with the US president-elect Donald Trumph before he takes office later in this month.

How Will The New Policy Work

Currently, Meta’s system works by limiting the visibility and reach of posts that are flagged as misleading or false by its partner fact-checkers. Additionally, a label is added to these posts, providing users with context about the misinformation, along with a link to the fact-check for more details.