Meta Introduces Trial of Community Labels on Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger Threads
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, has announced the launch of a new feature called Community Notes. Starting March 18, the feature will be tested in the USA across all three platforms.
The intention behind Community Notes is to allow users to add context to posts, similar to the existing system used by Twitter. This new approach marks a transition away from Meta's third-party fact-checking program, with former fact-checkers welcome to participate as contributors in the new system.
The feature will be available in six languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, French, and Portuguese. Meta plans to roll out this new approach to users worldwide, but it won't do so immediately.
Meta is using an open-source algorithm from X to build its rating system for Community Notes. This algorithm will evaluate contributors' historical ratings to assess agreement across different viewpoints. Contributors must meet eligibility criteria, including being over 18 years old, having an account in good standing that's over six months old, and either a verified phone number or enrollment in two-factor authentication.
Initially, contributors will remain anonymous, and notes written by contributors will not appear publicly. However, Meta plans to refine the system over time based on real-world testing and contributor feedback.
Unlike previous fact checks, the system will not reduce a post's distribution or visibility. This means that posts will continue to be visible to users, but with additional context provided by the community. Contributors will not be permitted to submit notes on advertisements but will be allowed to annotate posts by Meta, public figures, and political accounts.
Meta stated that the process will not be perfect and committed to ongoing improvements. The system will be tested internally before any public deployment. Once Meta is confident in the effectiveness of the system, Community Notes will replace third-party fact-checking in the United States. Until then, the existing third-party fact-checking program will continue operating outside the USA.
Notes will be limited to 500 characters and must include a source link. Meta plans to gradually and randomly admit participants from a pool of approximately 200,000 people who have signed up across the three platforms.
In summary, Meta is introducing a new feature called Community Notes, which allows users to add context to posts. The feature will be tested in the USA starting March 18, and Meta plans to roll it out worldwide in the future. The system is designed to be a crowd-sourced model, replacing the existing third-party fact-checking program. Meta is committed to ongoing improvements and refinements based on real-world testing and contributor feedback.
