Meta has announced the end of its fact-checking program on Facebook and Instagram, aiming to "restore free expression" after criticism that content moderation policies had resulted in excessive censorship.

In a video shared on Tuesday, Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg explained that the company would replace its third-party fact-checkers, introduced in 2016, with a crowdsourced approach through "community notes," similar to Elon Musk’s X platform.

The headline of 2025 just dropped 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/3mP9YZ5w7a

— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) January 7, 2025

“It’s time to get back to our roots around free expression on Facebook and Instagram,” Zuckerberg said. He also highlighted the challenges posed by content moderation: “Even if they accidentally censor just 1 per cent of posts, that is millions of people. And we’ve reached a point where it’s just too many mistakes and too much censorship.”

X is failing so badly that Meta is copying it by firing fact-checkers and replacing them with community notes

2025 is wild and we’re barely a week in https://t.co/DzLfa7jhpX

— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) January 7, 2025

Zuckerberg also pointed to the political debate over online content, noting, “Governments and legacy media have pushed to censor more and more. A lot of this is clearly political.” He said the decision to return to simpler policies would help focus on reducing errors and restoring free expression on the platform.

The fact-checking program that Meta is now ending has included partnerships with controversial organisations like RMIT University's disgraced fact-checking unit. The unit, which faced criticism for bias and error-ridden verdicts, had been involved in moderating content on Meta's platforms, including in Australia. The scrutiny surrounding this unit was one of the driving factors behind Meta's decision to end the third-party fact-checking program.

Cuck said some of the factcheckers are full of crap and abused their roles. You are fired @rmitlookout (Factalab) 😆.

— Rukshan Fernando (@therealrukshan) January 7, 2025

Meta’s global affairs officer, Joel Kaplan, echoed Zuckerberg’s sentiments, stating, “It has become clear there is too much political bias in what they choose to fact-check.” He also claimed that the new system would rely on community input rather than biased third-party "experts."

Zuckerberg’s announcement comes amid growing backlash to censorship practices, particularly after the US 2020 election. Meta’s shift is expected to simplify its policies and better align with users’ desire for free speech. However, it is unclear how the company will address those negatively affected by its harsh censorship practices.

I’ll believe Zuck when he reinstates all Facebook and Instagram accounts and pages that were unfairly banned like @elonmusk did when he took over Twitter

But I'm not holding my breath

— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) January 7, 2025

It comes as RMIT University in Australia rebranded its controversial fact-checking unit to RMIT Lookout after facing scrutiny for bias and errors.

The unit recently faced criticism for misleadingly claiming accreditation from the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN). RMIT has since removed this claim, stating that its accreditation process is ongoing.

In 2023, Rebel News revealed how court documents exposed the secretive fact-checking agreement between social media giant Meta and RMIT.

The confidential third-party fact-checker agreement came to light during Rebel News reporter Avi Yemini's defamation case against RMIT FactLab over a false fact-check on one of his reports.

Earlier this year the ABC ended a seven-year partnership with RMIT, severing ties with the University's Fact Check operation.

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