Instagram and Facebook’s new feature to resemble X (Twitter): Community notes are coming to Meta

Earlier this week, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, announced the rollout of their version of Community Notes, similar to those seen for years on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the change to Community Notes after the election of Donald Trump in November. Zuckerberg justified the decision based on perceived bias in the previous system, a consistent talking point among conservative media figures and leaders.

The rollout also means that Meta is ending the third-party fact-checking program in the US. Users have already begun to see Community Notes on their Facebook, Instagram, and Threads timelines.

Meta explained that the notes will be “written and rated by the growing community of contributors” and are to “be published gradually” as the company tests the “algorithm and internal systems” that will be used in their deployment.

In an announcement from Meta in March, the company said that it would not be “reinventing the wheel” and was using the algorithm used by X to manage its Community Note program. However, the Meta leaders said that they will adapt X’s algorithm to “improve it for [their] own platforms over time.” No mention was made as to whether or not the algorithm would be open source, to allow users and experts to examine the changes made.

How Community Notes will be administered on Meta’s platforms

The social media giant claims that this new system will limit bias in content moderation on their platforms, as they “won’t decide what gets rated or written.” Instead, the notes will be written by a group of contributors, and “won’t be published unless contributors with a range of viewpoints broadly agree on them.”

“This isn’t majority rules. No matter how many contributors agree on a note, it won’t be published unless people who normally disagree decide that it provides helpful context.”

Get your game on! Whether you’re into NFL touchdowns, NBA buzzer-beaters, world-class soccer goals, or MLB home runs, our app has it all.

Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more – plus, stay updated on the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.