Meta (NASDAQ: META) has announced plans to remove third-party fact-checkers on its platform, opting to replace them with community annotations as it moves away from its seven-year censorship policy.
According to Meta’s blog postthe social media giant is overhauling its content policy for users across its platforms in an effort to promote free speech. Meta’s Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan unveiled a new policy direction for the company by shutting down its fact-checking program in favor of community annotations.
Launched in 2016, Meta gave responsibility for fact-checking on its platforms to independent experts, but biases affected the credibility of the system.
“Experts, like everyone else, have their own biases and perspectives,” Kaplan said. “This was evident in the choices some made about what to control and how.”
Aware of the obvious flaws, the company says it will steal a page from X (formerly Twitter) with its Community Notes system. Going forward, Meta users with different perspectives on Facebook, Instagram and Threads will provide context to posts that the company says are “less likely to be biased.”
Community Notes will first debut in the US before a global launch in late 2025. At full launch, Meta says it will not lower fact-checked content and eliminate the display of interstitial warnings designed to increase the complexity for users to view certain content.
“We will use a much less obtrusive label that indicates there is additional information for those who want to see it,” Kaplan added.
The most seismic policy change seems to be the disappearance of the complex content management systems Meta platforms. Meta revealed that the algorithms, originally designed to protect users, have inadvertently censored trivial content and stifled legitimate political debate on the platforms.
In the coming weeks, Meta will no longer limit conversations about topics surrounding immigration and gender identity. However, the company will focus the algorithms to crack down on terrorism, fraud linked to digital currencies and child trafficking.
According to the statement, Meta will pull back the curtain on its policy of actively limiting political content available to users of its platforms. Admitting the strategy was a “bumpy approach,” Meta says it will adopt a personalized approach that allows users to choose more political content or not.
There have been sweeping electoral reforms in the build-up to the recent general election, with regulators rolling out new rules for emerging technologies in civic affairs. New across the US playbooks have made their cameos in an effort to regulate generative artificial intelligence (AI), digital currency donationsand deepfakes.
Reddit’s NFT lead exit raises concerns about the project’s future
Meanwhile, the release of Reddit Collectible Avatars (RCA) leads. Bianca Wyler has sparked widespread concern about the future non-fungible token (NFT) project, where users brace themselves for the fall of the curtain.
According to a LinkedIn postWyler confirmed her exit from the NFT project but did not give a specific reason for her exit in the statement. Instead, she cited “natural changes” associated with social media platforms as they navigate the murky waters of shifting priorities and new technologies.
“My role at Reddit has come to an end,” Wyler said. “While I am saddened by this transition, I am incredibly proud of the work I accomplished during my time there.”
Wyler joined Reddit to head RCA mid-2024 in the thick of an extended NFT decline. In his statement, the ex-head wrote about attempts to breathe new life into the project, strike new collaborations with brands and push the boundaries of creators.
In 2022, Reddit launched RCA as millions of uniques digital collectibles in the form of the site’s alien mascot for platform users with a range of tools for holders. Users can display their collectibles on their profiles while enjoying the benefits of special commenters, with their comments ranking higher than others.
Since launch, there have been 33 million holders of digital collectibles, but usage statistics have stagnated since peaking in 2022. Currently, secondary volumes have been below $100,000 since the last quarter of 2024, with primary trading at an all-time low.
Although RCA is far from its peak before 2023, there is still a loyal community behind the collectibles. Many users have expressed concerns that Wyler’s exit is the first domino in Reddit’s push to end the whole NFT project.
Others stick to the fact that while Reddit may remove the utility and artwork from the collectibles, the actual tokens are “wallet safe.” Pundits believe that removing the tool is tantamount to dealing the death knell to the NFTs, effectively rendering them worthless to holders.
Reddit has yet to state its plans, but community members say the decision to remove comments for Wyler’s Reddit accounts is proof enough that the end is in sight for RCA.
Wyler’s statement didn’t provide enough clues for the holders to piece together the project’s future, leaving them to scan the horizon with bated breath.
“While I’m uncertain about the current direction of the RCA program, I’m confident that Reddit will continue to do good for its community — the real driving force behind everything the company builds,” Wyler said.
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