Meta Shifts to a Community-Centric Content Moderation Model

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) announced on Tuesday that it is overhauling its content moderation approach by ending its third-party verification program in the U.S. and transitioning to a "Community Notes" model. This move represents a significant shift in the company's strategy for managing the spread of misinformation on its platforms while upholding free expression.

Launched in 2016, the third-party verification program was designed to combat viral false news by providing additional context from independent experts. However, Meta acknowledged that the system did not function as intended, with legitimate political discourse frequently mislabeled or reduced in distribution.

Meta is gradually phasing out the current program and will introduce the Community Notes system, which relies on user contributions to flag potentially misleading posts and add context. This model is inspired by a similar approach on another platform and is believed by Meta to be less prone to bias and better reflecting diverse perspectives.

Users in the U.S. can sign up to contribute to the Community Notes program, which will be rolled out over the coming months. Throughout the transition, Meta plans to remove existing verification checks, halt the reduction of verified content distribution, and bring in less intrusive labels that provide additional information to interested users.