Meta rolls out Community Notes across Facebook, Instagram, & Threads

Meta has announced the initial rollout of its Community Notes feature on Facebook and Instagram, set to begin in the United States from 18 March. The new system, modelled on the open-source Community Notes framework used by X (formerly Twitter), aims to provide context on potentially misleading posts through crowd-sourced fact-checking.

Community Notes will allow approved contributors to add contextual notes to posts, which will then be evaluated by other contributors. A note will only be published if contributors with differing viewpoints broadly agree on its accuracy and relevance. Meta says this approach is designed to prevent bias and promote consensus-based moderation.

The company has confirmed that around 200,000 potential contributors in the U.S. have signed up for the programme across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. However, the initial rollout will not display notes on content immediately, as it intends to test and refine the system before making notes visible to users.

Once Community Notes become publicly available, the company plans to phase out third-party fact-checking on its platforms in regions where the system is active. Unlike the previous fact-checking programme, Community Notes will not impose reach penalties on flagged posts, instead relying on users to assess and share contextual information.

The company has cited research suggesting that Community Notes can be an effective moderation tool. A University of Luxembourg study in 2024 found that users exposed to Community Notes on X were 60% less likely to share misleading posts. Other studies indicate that crowd-sourced fact-checking can be as accurate as traditional methods while being more scalable and perceived as less biased.

The company plans to gradually expand Community Notes beyond the U.S. as the system evolves. The launch marks a shift in Meta’s content moderation approach, placing greater emphasis on community-driven oversight.