Zuckerberg's Meta drops fact-checkers for X-like community notes on Facebook; Donald Trump, Elon Musk react

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday announced sweeping changes to Facebook and Instagram’s content moderation policies, including the elimination of third-party fact-checking in favour of “community notes,” a system modelled after the user-driven approach on X, the platform owned by Elon Musk.

The shift, which comes ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration, is being seen as a concession to the incoming administration.

“This is about getting back to free expression,” Zuckerberg said in a video statement, using some of the language conservatives have long used to criticise his platforms.

He described existing moderation systems as overly complex and prone to mistakes, emphasising the need to reduce censorship and restore trust. Zuckerberg also revealed plans to simplify content policies, scale back automated filters, and bring political content back to users’ feeds.

Fact-checking has been a flashpoint between Meta platforms and Trump supporters, who accuse the company of bias since Zuckerberg’s $400 million in donations to help administer the 2020 election became central to claims the vote was rigged.

Zuckerberg argued that Meta tried in "good faith" to address the concerns raised by legacy media over misinformation but the "fact checkers have just been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they've created."

"So over the next couple of months, we're going to phase in a more comprehensive Community node system," the Meta CEO said.

"Second, we're going to simplify our content policies and get rid of a bunch of restrictions on topics, like immigration and gender that are just out of touch with mainstream discourse," he added.

Zuckerberg framed the move as a response to a “cultural tipping point” favouring free speech, pledging to work with Trump’s administration to resist international censorship pressures.

He also announced plans to relocate Meta’s trust and safety teams from California to Texas, a move aimed at addressing perceptions of liberal bias.

Trump, who was banned from Meta’s platforms after the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, suggested the changes were likely prompted by threats he made against Zuckerberg.

Praising the changes at a press conference, the President-elect said, “I think they’ve come a long way, Meta.”

When asked if he believed Zuckerberg made the changes in response to threats the incoming president has made, Trump responded: “Probably.”

Musk also reacted to Meta's content moderation policy overhaul saying, "This is cool".