Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has announced the termination of its fact-checking program in the United States, signaling a significant shift in its content moderation policies. The decision was revealed by founder Mark Zuckerberg through a social media post.

Zuckerberg stated that Meta will replace fact-checkers with community notes, a system similar to the approach adopted by X (formerly Twitter). The community notes feature allows users to collaboratively add content to posts, aiming to distill reliable information through consensus rather than top-down moderation.

Meta’s move away from fact-checking comes years after the program was introduced in response to criticism following the unexpected election of Donald Trump in 2016. Critics alleged that Facebook was rife with misinformation and foreign interference, particularly by Russia, during that period.

The transition to community notes reflects Zuckerberg's broader effort to reconcile with Trump after his re-election in November. This includes a reported $1 million donation to Trump’s inauguration fund.

Trump has been a vocal critic of Meta and Zuckerberg, accusing the company of bias against him. Following the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, Trump was banned from Facebook. However, his account was reinstated in early 2023, marking a shift in Meta’s stance.