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Meta rolls out initial phase of community notes

Meta's system will mirror X's Community Notes, with approved contributors reviewing notes, which will only be displayed if there's consensus, including across political perspectives.

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Image- Alessandro Paluzzi

Meta is preparing to launch Community Notes on Facebook and Instagram, replacing third-party fact-checking with crowd-sourced insights on potentially misleading or false content. While the official roll-out of this feature is still months away, Meta has shared initial details of its functionality.

Instagram's version of Community Notes, as revealed by app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi, will allow users to add notes to posts deemed inaccurate or confusing. The feature will enable contributors to provide background information, tips, or insights to help clarify the content.

If a note is rated as helpful, it could be published alongside the post. Meta’s system will work similarly to the Community Notes feature on X, where a group of approved contributors reviews suggested notes. Notes will only be displayed if there is consensus, including agreement across political perspectives.

Community Notes feature on X

However, this approach may face challenges. Research by The Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) highlights a flaw in the process, particularly in dealing with divisive political issues. The study found that 74% of misleading posts related to the U.S. election had accurate Community Notes that were not shown to users due to a lack of cross-political agreement. This has raised concerns that political misinformation may go unchecked.

Despite these issues, Community Notes has shown some effectiveness in addressing false information. Studies suggest that the appearance of a Community Note can reduce the spread of misleading posts, with retweets decreasing by nearly half and the likelihood of posts being deleted rising by 80%. This system also helps alleviate the platform's moderation burden.

Nevertheless, concerns persist regarding the speed of the Community Notes system, especially as false claims often spread quickly. Although third-party fact-checking has similar timing challenges, Meta’s reliance on crowd-sourced notes may not be enough to combat false claims effectively. With over 3 billion users across its platforms, Meta will need a vast network of contributors to ensure the success of the program. Estimates suggest that to be truly effective, Meta would require around 2.5 million contributors, a number that will take time to build.

Meta's current fact-checking system has been shown to reduce the visibility of false posts by more than 80%, and academic studies indicate that fact-checking significantly reduces false beliefs. Despite the promise of Community Notes, there are concerns that Meta’s new system may not fully replace the effectiveness of third-party fact-checks and could lead to a rise in unchecked misinformation. As the roll-out of Community Notes approaches, it remains to be seen whether it can meet the challenges ahead.

misinformation Community notes feature