Full Fact responds to Meta’s Community Notes Plan

Today, Meta has published details of their Community Notes programme. 

Meta’s proposed system will be rolled out on 18 March and will be based on X’s Community Notes model. This model has been criticised by Full Fact and others as it relies on establishing consensus rather than emphasising factual accuracy. These Notes will not immediately be made public as Meta will take time to “test the writing and rating system before any notes are published publicly.”

“We reject Meta’s accusation of bias amongst fact checkers. It is unproven and no reason to overturn a system that used to put reliable, evidence-based verdicts at users’ fingertips.

“Consensus is important, but it is no substitute for the independent expertise of fact checkers which Meta has until very recently welcomed and only abandoned once a new administration arrived in the White House.

“Community Notes have a part to play in cleaning up our online environment, but this model appears to confirm that Meta won’t intervene to slow the spread of even the most blatantly misleading or false content that can go on to cause real harm.

“Meta seems to have chosen a system which prioritises consensus over accuracy to win political points at the expense of trust in their platforms.”

In January 2025, Meta announced an end to its third party fact checking programme in the United States and the intention to replace it with a Community Notes system. 

Recent research into Community Notes on X by Spanish fact checker Maldita found that fact checking organisations were the third most commonly cited source worldwide, behind only Wikipedia and X itself. 

When the announcement was made in January, Full Fact's CEO rejected Meta’s charge of bias, which we once again reject. This view is at odds with Meta’s own evidence to the UK government. In their submission to the Science Innovation and Technology Committee Meta praised the work of fact checkers as an effective tool in countering misinformation during the Southport riots. Without fact checkers, there is a gap for how Meta plans to counter misinformation. 

Meta’s most recent announcement makes it clear that their intention is to remove fact checking from their platform globally. Full Fact has participated in Meta’s Third Party Fact Checking Programme since January 2019 in which we check images, videos and articles on Meta platforms and receive income depending on the amount of fact checking done under the programme. 

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