Meta works to reduce censorship on Facebook and will adopt the ‘community notes’ model

Meta announced major changes to its monitoring and restriction of political speech and content on Tuesday, calling it a return to its “roots” in support of free speech.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg, whose social media platforms include Facebook and Instagram, said one of the key changes would be to remove third parties that fact-check content. Instead, they will allow users to add information and context.

“We are going to get rid of fact checkers and replace them with community ratings, similar to X, from the United States,” Mr. Zuckerberg said in a video.

Among other key changes, Meta said it was lifting restrictions on topics that “are part of the dominant discourse” and would focus its enforcement efforts on illegal and “high severity” violations, such as terrorism. , sexual exploitation of children, drugs, fraud and scams. .

It will also adapt its approach to political content, so people who want to see more of it in their feeds can choose to do so.

The changes will be seen as a response to President-elect Donald Trump’s return to power. His inauguration takes place on January 20.

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Mr. Trump and his supporters have denounced heavy-handed tactics used on social media platforms, saying they tend to suppress right-wing and dissenting views during the COVID-19 crisis.

One of Mr. Trump’s main supporters, billionaire Elon Musk, owns the X platform and frequently speaks out against censorship.