Test run begins

Meta will soon do away with fact checkers in the USA

In January, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave in to years of pressure from conservatives and largely abolished content moderation in the US.(Bild: AFP/DREW ANGERER)

The end of professional fact-checkers on Facebook and Instagram in the USA is drawing ever closer. The operating company Meta announced that tests for the "Community Notes" system will begin on March 18.

This involves users taking on the task of marking false or misleading statements as such and providing additional information.

The new process is based on billionaire Elon Musk's short message service X. According to the information provided, Meta also uses the freely accessible algorithm ("open source") from X to classify posts.

So far, a total of 200,000 users of the various Group platforms have registered as potential volunteer fact-checkers.

Zuckerberg gave in to growing pressure
In January, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg gave in to years of pressure from conservatives and largely abolished content moderation in the USA. The previous system produced too many errors and too much censorship.

Experts spoke of a gesture of appeasement towards the new administration of Republican US President Donald Trump. Meta had donated one million dollars for his inauguration ceremony.