Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Tuesday that his company was going to phase out fact checkers and replace Facebook and Instagram's content moderation apparatus with a community notes system similar to X, citing the recent US election.
“The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point towards, once again, prioritising speech,” he said in a video posted to Meta's Instagram platform.
The announcement from Mr Zuckerberg comes after years of criticism against Meta for not adequately dealing with hate speech, disinformation and other questionable content posted to Facebook and later Instagram.
“We're going to get rid of fact checkers and replace them with community notes similar to X, starting in the US after [Donald] Trump first got elected in 2016 the legacy media wrote non-stop about how misinformation was a threat to democracy,” Mr Zuckerberg said.
“We tried, in good faith, to address those concerns without becoming the arbiters of truth, but the fact checkers have just been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they've created, especially in the US.”
As Meta's chief executive and founder acknowledged in his video, community notes are a prominent feature of X that allow users to provide more information as well as present evidence contradicting posts or content that violates the platform's terms of service.
Those posts on X that are deemed to be inaccurate are later given notes that explain the inaccuracy of the posts in detail. Average users, government officials and celebrities have been among those flagged with community notes.
Anyone can sign up to be a community note contributor on X, with applications approved on a periodic basis.
Neil Chilson, former chief technologist for the Federal Trade Commission during the first Trump administration and currently head of artificial intelligence policy at the Abundance Institute, a non-profit organisation that supports emerging technologies, praised the announcement.
“Meta’s changes are a win for online communication and society,” he said. “Progress depends on open debate and the free exchange of ideas. Social media is transformative, but its potential is lost when platforms stifle discussion. By empowering users, Meta is improving the free speech ecosystem online.”
But Meta's announcement also drew ample criticism from those who accused the company of weakening its content moderation policy.
“Well this is utter codswallop from this site’s persistently ethically challenged owner, Mark Zuckerberg,” technology analyst, critic and podcaster Kara Swisher wrote on Meta's Threads platform.
“Let me say for the record that factcheckers make mistakes – but they are part of a broader ecosystem that balances safety with free speech and at least considers malevolent liars the problem. Mark is truly, as I wrote, the most dangerous person of the current Information Age and that includes Elon Musk.”
Mr Zuckerberg's video comes at a potentially turbulent time for the company amid a highly polarised political climate in the US.
Several days ago, Meta sent shock waves through the technology and political world when it announced that a former George W Bush official Joel Kaplan, already a Meta employee, would replace Nick Clegg – who formerly led the UK's Liberal Democrats – as Meta's chief global affairs officer.
It also comes on the heels of news reports that Mr Zuckerberg and Meta donated $1 million to Mr Trump's inauguration fund.
And on Monday, Meta said UFC president and Trump ally Dana White would be joining as new member of the company’s board of directors.
Recent announcements have amplified concerns from those on the political left that Meta, owner of some of the world's most influential social media platforms, would be allowing conservative US figures to direct aspects of its operations.
In response to the company's announcement about removing third-party fact checkers, Lina Khan, a Biden appointee to head the FTC, also seemed dismayed by Meta's plans.
“We should have an economy where the decisions of a single company or a single executive are not having extraordinary impact on speech online,” the frequent critic of Big Tech told CNBC's Squawk Box.
Shortly after Mr Zuckerberg's video was posted to Instagram, Mr Kaplan explained the company's forthcoming change to a community notes-based content moderation policy.
“We’ve seen this approach work on X – where they empower their community to decide when posts are potentially misleading and need more context, and people across a diverse range of perspectives decide what sort of context is helpful for other users to see,” he wrote.
“We think this could be a better way of achieving our original intention of providing people with information about what they’re seeing – and one that’s less prone to bias.”
The programme, according to Mr Kaplan, would begin in a couple of months, but users can sign up on Meta's website to be “among the first contributors” when it is officially up and running.
According to Mr Zuckerberg's video, Meta would still work hard to independently remove illegal content involving terrorism, drugs and child exploitation, to name a few items.
X appeared supportive of the move, with chief executive Linda Yaccarino saying: “Fact-checking and moderation doesn't belong in the hands of a few select gatekeepers who can easily inject their bias into decisions. It's a democratic process that belongs in the hands of many.”
Politics and moving from California to Texas
Mr Zuckerberg also said that he planned on moving the company's existing content review team from California to Texas.
“I think that will help us build trust to do this work in places where there is less concern about the bias of our teams,” he explained.
Somewhat buried in the announcement, however, was that Meta also plans to stop the current policy of cracking down on political posts, something that has been critiqued by news organisations, journalists and politicians on both sides.
“It feels like we're in a new era now, and we're starting to get feedback that people want to see this content again,” said Meta's chief executive. “So we're going to start phasing this back into Facebook, Instagram and Threads, while working to keep the communities friendly and positive.”
Meta has been a target of frequent criticism by elected officials over censorship issues.
After the 2016 presidential election, many Democrats accused the company of failing to flag and eliminate disinformation campaigns based out of Russia that flooded the platform. Republicans, in turn, said that Meta had disproportionately dampened their free speech by blocking content.
Months before the most recent presidential election, Mr Zuckerberg told a committee in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives that he and his company regretted bowing to pressure from President Joe Biden's administration to censor various pieces of Covid-19 content that appeared on the company’s Facebook and Instagram platforms.
As for the latest announcement from Meta about content moderation, those in conservative circles say that Meta is finally hearing their concerns.
“Meta’s announcement of a course correction on how they moderate content is a step in the right direction,” said Jessica Melugin, director of the Centre for Technology and Innovation at the Competitive Enterprise Institute.
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
GRAN%20TURISMO
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Neill%20Blomkamp%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20David%20Harbour%2C%20Orlando%20Bloom%2C%20Archie%20Madekwe%2C%20Darren%20Barnet%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Top goalscorers in Europe
34 goals - Robert Lewandowski (68 points)
34 - Ciro Immobile (68)
31 - Cristiano Ronaldo (62)
28 - Timo Werner (56)
25 - Lionel Messi (50)
*29 - Erling Haaland (50)
23 - Romelu Lukaku (46)
23 - Jamie Vardy (46)
*NOTE: Haaland's goals for Salzburg count for 1.5 points per goal. Goals for Dortmund count for two points per goal.
Understand What Black Is
The Last Poets
(Studio Rockers)
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eamana%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2010%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Karim%20Farra%20and%20Ziad%20Aboujeb%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERegulator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDFSA%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinancial%20services%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E85%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESelf-funded%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
A German university was a good fit for the family budget
Annual fees for the Technical University of Munich - £600
Shared rental accommodation per month depending on the location ranges between £200-600
The family had budgeted for food, books, travel, living expenses - £20,000 annually
Overall costs in Germany are lower than the family estimated
As proof that the student has the ability to take care of expenses, international students must open a blocked account with about £8,640
Students are permitted to withdraw £720 per month
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday Spezia v Lazio (6pm), Juventus v Torino (9pm), Inter Milan v Bologna (7.45pm)
Sunday Verona v Cagliari (3.30pm), Parma v Benevento, AS Roma v Sassuolo, Udinese v Atalanta (all 6pm), Crotone v Napoli (9pm), Sampdoria v AC Milan (11.45pm)
Monday Fiorentina v Genoa (11.45pm)
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
Hydrogen: Market potential
Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.
"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.
Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.
LEADERBOARD
%3Cp%3E-19%20T%20Fleetwood%20(Eng)%3B%20-18%20R%20McIlroy%20(NI)%2C%20T%20Lawrence%20(SA)%3B%20-16%20J%20Smith%3B%20-15%20F%20Molinari%20(Ita)%3B%20-14%20Z%20Lombard%20(SA)%2C%20S%20Crocker%20(US)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESelected%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E-11%20A%20Meronk%20(Pol)%3B%20-10%20E%20Ferguson%20(Sco)%3B%20-8%20R%20Fox%20(NZ)%20-7%20L%20Donald%20(Eng)%3B%20-5%20T%20McKibbin%20(NI)%2C%20N%20Hoejgaard%20(Den)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Tori Amos
Native Invader
Decca
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
Company%20profile%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EYodawy%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Egypt%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKarim%20Khashaba%2C%20Sherief%20El-Feky%20and%20Yasser%20AbdelGawad%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHealthTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2424.5%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAlgebra%20Ventures%2C%20Global%20Ventures%2C%20MEVP%20and%20Delivery%20Hero%20Ventures%2C%20among%20others%3Cstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20500%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
