Zuckerberg sets start date for Community Notes on Meta Platforms

Meta Platforms announced that on March 18 it will begin testing its new Community Notes system, similar to the model employed by X, which will replace its fact-cheking program. It will do so on three of its platforms: Facebook, Instagram and Threads. The tool's aim is to contrast the information published on users' feeds to make it less "biased."

Through a statement, the company co-founded, chaired and led by Mark Zuckerberg reported that it will not be the one to "decide" what is published on its social networks. Collaborators who have previously registered will do so.

To date, Meta Platforms assured that "around 200,000 potential contributors" have already signed up, all over 18 years of age, to moderate the information. In addition, the tech giant detailed how Community Notes works.

"No matter how many contributors agree on a note, it won’t be published unless people who normally disagree decide that it provides helpful context. Community Notes will have a limit of 500 characters and will need to include a link to support the note," Meta Platforms explained.

Initially, the new feature will be available in six languages (English, Spanish, Chinese, French, Portuguese and Vietnamese), although it will be expanded over time.

Meta Platforms: From fact-checking to Community Notes

In January, Zuckerberg announced he was ending his fact-checking program, which was launched in 2016, with the aim of restoring freedom of speech on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.

"It's time to get back to our roots around free expression. We're replacing fact checkers with Community Notes, simplifying our policies and focusing on reducing mistakes," the Meta Platforms leader stressed.

In his announcement, Zuckerberg explained that his purpose was always to "protect free speech." However, the tech mogul directly blamed governments, such as China's communist regime, and the media because that fundamental right has not been respected on Facebook or any other platform in the group.

"There's been widespread debate about the potential harms from online content. Governments and legacy media have pushed to censor more and more," he emphasized, adding that such censorship harms millions of people around the world.

In addition, Zuckerberg spoke about the election and Donald Trump's victory, saying that the media worked to report on how "misinformation was a threat to democracy" and how they attributed that alleged lack of truthfulness in election-related news to social media platforms.

Regarding Trump, Zuckerberg reached out to him to "push back on governments around the world" who are "going after American companies and pushing to censor more."