Remember that one guy from high school? The one who slid into your DMs to ask if you “still look good” and posts five-paragraph rants about “feminazis” ruining the world? Yeah, well, brace yourself because he just got a major upgrade in his ability to be insufferable. Meta (aka Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, aka Mark Zuckerberg’s personal playground) is officially ditching fact-checkers.
Now, instead of actual humans verifying posts for accuracy, we’re getting “community notes” similar to what you see on X (formerly Twitter). And while that seems like a fair trade, it’s basically crowd-sourced content moderation, which means your cousin who still thinks vaccines come with microchips now has as much say in determining “the truth” as, like, an actual scientist.
Now, if you’re thinking this was a naive move on Zuckerberg’s part, unfortunately, you’re the naive one in this situation. Zuckerberg knows this is going to make things worse. But according to him, harmful content is a “tradeoff” for more “freedom of expression.” Translation: your feed is about to be a dumpster fire of misinformation, but at least it’s free speech, right?
Meta Is Getting Rid Of Fact-Checkers. How Will This Affect Me As A User?
Zuckerberg himself admitted that this change will likely lead to more harmful content popping up on Facebook and Instagram. (Yes, Mark, we know.)
So, what does this mean for you? Expect more conspiracy theories and fake news… and pretty much a bunch more posts that make you question whether everyone should really have access to the internet. While Meta promises to focus on removing “high-severity” violations like terrorism and child exploitation, everything else? Pretty much a free-for-all. If someone in your Facebook feed claims the moon landing was faked, it’s kinda now on you and other users to fact-check them. And I’m sure that’ll go totally smoothly.
Why The Sudden Shift?
Three words: President Donald Trump. Meta’s new policy comes conveniently as Trump is set to take office again (did you forget that was happening this month?), and let’s just say Zuckerberg is doing the absolute most to stay in his good graces. From appointing Trump allies to Meta’s board to donating $1 million to his inaugural fund, Zuckerberg is basically playing the ultimate “pick-me” so that he can go unchecked as he continues to expand Meta. Critics are calling it what it really is: political pandering. The Real Facebook Oversight Board — an independent watchdog group that criticizes Meta for spreading misinformation — even described the move as Meta going “full MAGA.”
This whole ordeal seems less about principle and more about Zuckerberg staying cozy with Trump and his buddies. And if that means your feed becomes a breeding ground for misinformation? Well, I guess that’s just the price of “progress.”
