“The social media ban is an Australian policy in the interests of young Australians and Australian families. And we say to Australian parents,we’ve got your back,” he told ABCNews Breakfast. “My government will stand up for Australia’s interests.”
Last week,Meta elevated Republican policy executive Joel Kaplan as global affairs head and on Monday announced it had elected Dana White,chief executive of Ultimate Fighting Championship and a close friend of Trump,to its board.
“We’ve reached a point where it’s just too many mistakes and too much censorship. It’s time to get back to our roots around free expression,” Zuckerberg said in a video.
X owner Elon Musk:Zuckerberg’s change follows X’s embrace of community notes.Credit:Bloomberg
He acknowledged the role of the recent US elections in his thinking,saying they “feel like a cultural tipping point,towards once again prioritising speech”.
In place of a formal fact-checking program to address dubious claims posted on Meta’s platforms,Zuckerberg instead plans to implement a “community notes” system similar to that used on Elon Musk-owned X,where users submit corrections and amplifications to suspect posts.
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Meta has a fact-checking partnership with the Australian Associated Press,but that has not been terminated.
“Independent fact-checkers are a vital safeguard against the spread of harmful misinformation and disinformation that threatens to undermine free democratic debate in Australia and aims to manipulate public opinion,” said Lisa Davies,AAP’s chief executive.
“AAP FactCheck’s contract with Meta in Australia,New Zealand and the Pacific is not impacted by its US decision and our fact-checking work continues in 2025.”
Zuckerberg said Meta would focus its automated systems on removing “high-severity violations” and illegal content such as terrorism and illicit drugs. It will stop proactively scanning for hate speech and other types of rule-breaking,and review such posts only in response to user reports.
The company will move safety teams overseeing content policies and review out of California,to other locations,including Texas,he added.
The demise of the fact-checking program,started in 2016,caught partner organisations by surprise.
“We didn’t know that this move was happening,and it comes as a shock to us. This is definitely going to affect us,” said Jesse Stiller,managing editor at Check Your Fact.
President-elect Donald Trump:Meta has ‘come a long way’.Credit:AP
The head of the International Fact-Checking Network,Angie Drobnic Holan,challenged Zuckerberg’s characterisation of its members as biased or censorious.
“Fact-checking journalism has never censored or removed posts;it’s added information and context to controversial claims,and it’s debunked hoax content and conspiracies.
Credit:Matt Golding
“The fact-checkers used by Meta follow a code of principles requiring non-partisanship and transparency,” she said in a statement.
Kristin Roberts,Gannett Media’s chief content officer,said,“Truth and facts serve everyone – not the right or the left – and that’s what we will continue to deliver.”
“We’ve learnt the news as everyone has today. It’s a hard hit for the fact-checking community and journalism. We’re assessing the situation,” Agence France-Presse said in an emailed response to Reuters.
Other partners did not immediately respond to requests for comment,while Reuters declined to comment. Meta’s independent Oversight Board welcomed the move.
Zuckerberg in recent months has expressed regret over certain content moderation actions on topics including COVID-19. Meta also donated $US1 million ($1.6 million) to Trump’s inaugural fund,in a departure from its past practice.
“This is a major step back for content moderation at a time when disinformation and harmful content are evolving faster than ever,” said Ross Burley,co-founder for non-profit Centre for Information Resilience.
“This move seems more about political appeasement than smart policy.”
When asked about the company’s plan to end fact-checking,Trump said:“They have come a long way,Meta. The man[Zuckerberg] was very impressive.”
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He added that Zuckerberg was probably responding to threats made to him.
Meta’s community notes will allow users to call out posts that are potentially misleading and need more context,rather than placing the responsibility on independent fact-checking organisations and experts.
Meta said it would not intervene in the adding of community notes to posts on its platforms.