Meta backs down and announces it will continue to use fact checkers

Meta changes its new strategy to end censorship. Days after announcing it would stop using background checks, the company clarified that the measure would only apply to those living in the United States. Meta changed its mind after dozens of organizations pressured the European Union and other regulators to block its policies.

According to BloombergMeta announced his intention maintain current data verification infrastructure por to third parties outside the United States. Nicola Mendelsohn, head of global business at Meta, said during an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos that limiting the changes to the US would serve as a benchmark for assessment ahead of any potential international rollout.

Mendelsohn added that no immediate changes to international fact-checking operations are planned. The company will continue to collaborate with existing partners around the world.

“We’ll see how things go as we move forward,” Meta’s global business director said. “So in the rest of the world nothing is changing at the moment, we are still working with fact checkers around the world.”

The decision to maintain the current arrangement reflects a response to the need reduce legal risk. Meta doesn’t want to risk another million-dollar fine in the European Union or the UK. The latter has already outlined its line and stated that all companies must comply with local legislation.

Meta wants to end censorship and make moderation easier

A few days ago, Meta announced the end of fact checking, opting for a community notes system similar to X (Twitter). Mark Zuckerberg said at the time that the change would take the company “back to its roots” by simplifying policies and restoring freedom of expression.

This was announced by the co-founder of Facebook and the CEO of the company. operational inefficiencies and inaccuracies within the existing background check apparatus, which led to cases of erroneous removal of content. Zuckerberg added that the changes also include eliminating content policies on controversial topics such as immigration and gender.

“The reality is it’s a balance. This means we’re going to catch fewer bad things, but we’re also going to reduce the number of posts and accounts of innocent people that we accidentally delete,” Mark Zuckerberg said.

Following the announcement, various organizations sought support from regulators to prevent the implementation of this new policy. Thibault Brutten, director general of Reporters Without Borders, has written to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen asking for decisive action on the Digital Services Act (DSA).

“The Meta decision, if applied within the EU, would constitute a serious and immediate attack on the integrity of the European information space, as well as on the democratic sovereignty of the Union,” Bruttin said. “This would cause significant harm to recipients of Meta services and could even pose a threat to public safety throughout all or part of the EU.”

The DSA places strict obligations on major online platforms to prevent the spread of misleading political content and disinformation. Failure to comply with these provisions would result in a million-dollar fine, which Meta could not risk.