Meta will introduce “Community Notes” on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads starting March 18. This new content moderation system will commence open beta testing in the U.S. Designed to replace the existing third-party fact-checking program, it allows users to add context directly to posts. Meta aims to reflect diverse perspectives and reduce political bias controversies through this system.
Since 2016, Meta has operated a system to filter false information in collaboration with external fact-checking agencies. However, criticisms arose about reinforcing certain political stances or censoring opposing views. CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated, “The existing fact-checking system was embroiled in political bias controversies,” and emphasized that the Community Notes will be a transparent and balanced alternative for information provision.
Community Notes will operate based on an open-source algorithm from X (formerly Twitter). Instead of centralized fact-checking, it utilizes collective intelligence from users to assess the reliability of posts. Meta plans to optimize this for its platform environment and improve the system over time.
Community Notes allows users who meet certain criteria to add explanations to posts. To participate as a contributor, users must be over 18, have maintained an account for at least six months, and have a good account standing. Contributors can write notes up to 500 characters long and attach source links.
Other contributors then evaluate these notes as “helpful” or “not helpful.” Only when users with diverse perspectives reach a consensus will the note be published on the post. Unlike traditional fact-checking systems, Community Notes do not affect the visibility, shareability, or ranking of posts, and the identity of the note writer remains anonymous.
Meta plans to implement Community Notes in the U.S. first and then assess the results for potential global expansion. Currently, about 200,000 users in the U.S. can use this feature, initially available in English, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Portuguese. In regions outside the U.S., the existing third-party fact-checking system will be maintained.
During the initial test period, Meta will closely analyze factors such as latency, coverage, and the impact on content views and sharing. If the evaluation results are positive, there are plans to expand the service to more languages and regions.
The introduction of Community Notes is expected to be a significant turning point in Meta’s content management approach. Moving away from traditional fact-checking methods, this system is interpreted as an attempt to build a more open information environment driven by user verification.
However, questions remain about whether collective intelligence can effectively prevent the spread of false information. The risk of certain groups distorting specific issues and the lack of effective countermeasures against false information may become prominent issues.
Whether Meta’s new approach will be an innovative alternative to information verification systems or lead to further controversy depends on future operational processes and user reactions.