Meta has stated that its contentious decision to discontinue its fact-checking initiative has not adversely affected advertising expenditure. During the Q4 2024 earnings call, CFO Susan Li reassured shareholders that the demand from advertisers remains robust and that the company’s focus on brand safety is steadfast, notwithstanding these recent policy changes. Concurrently, CEO Mark Zuckerberg emphasized that the community notes feature which replaces the fact-checking system is simply a “superior” approach, attributing inspiration to X for the original concept.
Li informed investors that Meta has not “observed any significant effects from our content policy adjustments on advertiser spending,” although she did not provide detailed figures. She also highlighted the role of AI-driven tools in enabling businesses to optimize their advertising investments.
In the meantime, Zuckerberg offered further insights into the rationale behind Meta’s decision to end fact-checking, a change that is currently limited to the United States.
“I’m open to acknowledging when someone does something better than we do,” he remarked. “It’s our responsibility to strive for excellence and adopt the best systems available.”
The executive also refuted the notion that discontinuing fact-checking signals a lack of interest in providing context or addressing misinformation.
“That’s not correct,” Zuckerberg insisted. “I believe the community notes system, similar to what X has implemented for some time, is actually more effective than our previous approach, and I think this will enhance our product.”
Unquestionably, there were numerous humorous and often suggestive memes mocking Zuckerberg’s decision to eliminate fact-checking, many of which poked fun at the CEO himself.
It’s hardly surprising that Meta would halt fact-checking in the U.S. just as Trump assumes office, considering Republicans have long expressed concerns about being silenced on social media when their content was subjected to fact-checks.
Meta’s strategy of directly adopting X’s concept as a substitute for fact-checking instead of creating an original system of its own is consistent with its historical trend. The company has often emulated features from its rivals, such as borrowing the Stories format from Snap. Zuckerberg previously acknowledged this during congressional antitrust hearings, affirming that Facebook had “certainly adapted” features pioneered by competitors. Nowadays, he is more willing to acknowledge and credit those ideas that Meta has chosen to utilize.
Compiled by Techarena.au.
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