Social media is ripe with misinformation. That’s why Meta took measures to curb it back in 2016. That fact-checking program identified and addressed viral misinformation, in particular those that had no basis in fact and were started as hoaxes. Veuer’s Tony Spitz has the details.
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00:00Social media is ripe with misinformation, which is why Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, took measures to curb it back in 2016.
00:08That fact-checking program identified and addressed viral misinformation, in particular that that had no basis in fact, and was started as hoaxes.
00:16That's according to Meta's own website. However, now they're getting rid of the program.
00:20In an address to its users, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg made the announcement, saying they will replace their fact-checking with something akin to X's community notes.
00:29The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point towards once again prioritizing speech.
00:34He added that the fact-checkers have become quote, too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they have created.
00:40It's worth mentioning that fact-checking and content moderation in general has largely been criticized by conservatives exclusively.
00:47That is despite a recent report by NYU Stern highlighting that Republicans are not unfairly censored on the platform.
00:54Zuckerberg is just the latest in a long line of tech CEOs and other industry leaders who are looking to get in good with the new administration.
01:01Mark and Meta have even donated to Trump, with the CEO praising the president-elect in an interview with Bloomberg shortly before the election.
01:08We're going to work with President Trump to push back on governments around the world that are going after American companies and pushing to censor more.