In a surprising turn of events, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has announced plans to leverage open-source technology developed by rival platform X (formerly Twitter) for its new Community Notes feature. This move marks a significant shift in Meta’s approach to content moderation and represents an unexpected collaboration between two tech giants often seen as competitors.
Meta’s decision to adopt X’s algorithm for Community Notes comes as part of a broader strategy to replace its third-party fact-checking program with a crowd-sourced model. The company plans to begin testing Community Notes on March 18, 2025, across its platforms: Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, initially focusing on the United States market.
The Backstory: A Shift in Content Moderation
The roots of this decision trace back to January 2025, when Meta announced the end of its third-party fact-checking program. This change came amidst criticism from conservatives who claimed that fact-checkers were politically biased. CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in a move to mend fences with the Trump administration, praised Elon Musk’s approach to community-driven fact-checking on X.
This pivot represents Meta’s most significant overhaul of its content moderation approach in recent memory. It aligns with a broader industry conversation about the role of social media platforms in managing misinformation and the delicate balance between content moderation and free speech.
How Community Notes Will Work
Meta’s implementation of Community Notes will function as a crowd-sourced fact-checking system across its platforms. Users meeting specific criteria, such as having a verified account and a history of positive platform engagement, can apply to become contributors. These contributors will have the ability to add context to posts they believe contain misinformation, with a 500-character limit and a requirement to include a supporting link.
Meta explained in a blog post, “As X’s algorithm and program information is open source — meaning free and available for anyone to use— we can build on what X has done, learn from the researchers who have studied it, and improve the system for our own platforms.”
The evaluation process for notes utilizes X’s open-source algorithm, considering factors such as the contributor’s rating history and approval from users with diverse viewpoints. Notes reaching a consensus among contributors with differing perspectives will be publicly displayed beneath the original post, providing additional context without directly altering the post’s visibility or reach.
Implications and Concerns
While Meta claims that Community Notes will be less biased than third-party fact-checking, the success of this approach on X has been mixed. Critics argue that community-driven moderation can be susceptible to manipulation by coordinated groups or may struggle to effectively combat sophisticated misinformation campaigns.
Neil Johnson, a George Washington University physics professor and expert in online misinformation spread, told CNBC that while Community Notes can help provide context, it is not a substitute for “formal fact-checking.” Johnson characterized the model as an “imperfect system” potentially exploitable by groups with their own agendas.
Safeguards and Future Plans
To maintain the integrity of the Community Notes system, Meta has implemented several safeguards. Contributors must be over 18 years old and meet specific eligibility criteria. The system also requires notes to include supporting links, adding credibility to the information provided.
Meta stated that “publishing a note requires agreement between different people,” a policy designed to “safeguard against organized campaigns attempting to game the system and influence what notes get published or what they say.”
The company plans to closely monitor the system, evaluating metrics such as latency, coverage, and the downstream effects on viewership and sharing. These insights will guide future refinements and iterations of the system.
As of now, about 200,000 users in the US have signed up to be contributors to the program. Meta plans to gradually admit people from the waitlist to test the writing and rating system before notes are published publicly.
While this collaboration between Meta and X represents an intriguing development in the tech world, its long-term impact on content moderation and the fight against misinformation remains to be seen. As social media platforms continue to grapple with these challenges, the industry will be watching closely to see if this unexpected alliance yields positive results.
