Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Tuesday that the company, which owns Facebook and Instagram, will no longer collaborate with third-party fact-checking organizations.
In a video statement, Zuckerberg criticized content moderation practices, claiming they often led to “censorship,” echoing arguments frequently made by President-elect Donald Trump and his allies.
“After Trump was first elected in 2016, the legacy media warned endlessly about the dangers of misinformation to democracy. We attempted, in good faith, to address those concerns without positioning ourselves as arbiters of truth,” Zuckerberg said. “But fact-checkers have proven to be too politically biased, eroding more trust than they’ve built, especially in the U.S.”
Meta initially established extensive partnerships with fact-checkers after the 2016 presidential election, responding to the proliferation of false claims spread by Russia on Facebook and other platforms. This initiative became a model for how tech companies combat misinformation. However, backlash against content moderation intensified during the 2020 election and the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly among conservatives who equated moderation with censorship.
Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube banned Trump after the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack, though they have since reinstated his accounts as he mounts his second presidential campaign. Fact-checkers, misinformation researchers, and content moderation programs have increasingly come under scrutiny through Republican-led investigations and legal challenges.
Zuckerberg said his perspective on moderation has evolved, acknowledging that Meta has “made too many mistakes” in enforcing its content policies. He called Trump’s re-election a “cultural tipping point” that signals a shift back toward prioritizing free speech.
“We’re returning to our roots, focusing on reducing errors, simplifying policies, and restoring free expression on our platforms,” Zuckerberg explained. Instead of partnering with third-party fact-checkers, Meta will adopt a “community notes” system, where users write and rate annotations on posts—an approach similar to Elon Musk’s strategy for X (formerly Twitter).
Meta also announced changes to its enforcement practices, scaling back automated moderation except for “illegal and high-severity violations” such as terrorism, child exploitation, and fraud. Additionally, its U.S. content moderation team will relocate from California to Texas, a move Zuckerberg believes will “build trust” in areas less concerned about bias.
Fact-checking organizations criticized the decision, disputing claims of political bias. Bill Adair, co-founder of the International Fact-Checking Network, said, “It’s troubling to hear Zuckerberg echo these accusations when fact-checkers in his program adhere to a code of transparency and nonpartisanship.” Angie Drobnic Holan, the network’s director, warned that the decision could lead to fewer fact-checking reports and a decline in the industry overall.
Republicans welcomed the announcement, viewing it as confirmation of their claims that tech companies are biased against conservatives. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) celebrated the news, tweeting, “Meta finally admits to censoring speech… what a great birthday present and a win for free speech.”
