Meta is making a big change to how it handles misinformation on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Starting March 18, the company will begin testing its own version of Community Notes in the United States. This shift moves away from third-party fact-checking and instead relies on a crowdsourced approach similar to what X (formerly Twitter) has been using since 2021.
This is one of the biggest overhauls Meta has made to its fact-checking system. Back in January, the company announced it would shut down its third-party fact-checking program, citing concerns about bias and scalability. Instead of relying on outside organizations, Meta is shifting to a system where users provide context on posts and rate each other’s contributions to determine which notes are the most helpful.
Meta is not rolling this out all at once. The company says it is taking the time to “get this right” by starting small. Around 200,000 people in the U.S. have signed up to be contributors, but notes will not immediately appear on posts.
Meta will gradually allow people off the waitlist so they can practice writing and rating notes before anything goes public. Initially, the feature will be available in six languages commonly used in the U.S., including English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, French, and Portuguese. More languages will be added over time.
For those familiar with Community Notes on X, Meta’s version will feel similar. Contributors will be able to add notes to posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, providing additional context. However, these notes will not be published unless contributors with different viewpoints agree they are helpful. The system does not work on a simple majority vote. Instead, it requires consensus from people who typically disagree.
There are a few other key details about how this will work. Notes will be limited to 500 characters and must include a supporting link. Contributor identities will remain anonymous, at least for now, to ensure the focus is on the content rather than the person writing it. Not everyone will be able to contribute.
Users must be at least 18 years old, have an account that is more than six months old and in good standing, and either have a verified phone number or be enrolled in two-factor authentication. Contributors will not be able to add notes to advertisements at launch, but they will be able to fact-check posts from politicians, public figures, and even Meta itself.
Meta has been using third-party fact-checking since 2016, but the company now says it did not work as intended, especially in the U.S. The idea was that expert organizations would provide an unbiased check on misinformation, but according to Meta, experts, like everyone else, have their own political biases and perspectives. This reportedly affected decisions about which posts were fact-checked and how they were rated.
Community Notes is supposed to address these concerns. Since a note will only be published if people with opposing viewpoints agree, the system is designed to be more balanced and harder to manipulate. Meta also believes this approach will allow more content to be fact-checked on a larger scale.
Unlike the old fact-checking system, Community Notes will not come with penalties. In the past, posts labeled as misinformation often had their distribution reduced. That will not happen with this system. A note may provide additional context, but it will not affect how widely a post is seen or shared.
Rather than building a new system from scratch, Meta is using X’s open-source algorithm as the foundation for Community Notes. The company says it will refine and improve the system over time, potentially adjusting how notes are ranked and rated. Meta acknowledges that this process will not be perfect right away and plans to make adjustments based on feedback from contributors.
The plan is to roll out Community Notes in the U.S. fully once Meta is confident the system is working as intended. Once that happens, third-party fact-checking labels will disappear from posts in the U.S. entirely. Fact-checkers will still be able to participate, but only as regular Community Notes contributors without special authority over the system.
Meta’s long-term goal is to expand Community Notes worldwide, but for now, third-party fact-checking will remain in place outside the U.S.