Community Notes: The Future of Content Moderation on Facebook and Instagram

Meta's New Approach to Fact-Checking

Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, has announced a shift in its fact-checking approach. The tech giant is discontinuing its independent fact-checking program and introducing Community Notes, a crowdsourced model inspired by Twitter's X platform.

But what is Community Notes, and how does it work?

How Community Notes Works

The team at CBS News Confirmed has been following the evolution of Community Notes on X. Executive producer Melissa Mahtani explains that on X, approved contributors can label content as false or misleading and add notes providing additional context.

Becoming an approved contributor is relatively easy. Any user with a valid phone number and a clean record on the platform for the past six months can volunteer.

When a contributor identifies false or misleading content, they post a note below the original post providing more information. However, these notes are not immediately visible to regular users.

Community Consensus and Algorithms

Once a note is posted, it undergoes a voting process by other approved contributors. These contributors evaluate the note's accuracy and usefulness.

If enough contributors approve the note, it is then assessed by an algorithm. The algorithm analyzes the ideological diversity of the contributors who voted and makes a decision about whether the note should be publicly displayed.

According to X's website, the algorithm aims to ensure that helpful notes reach a broad audience across perspectives.

Challenges and Concerns

While Community Notes has the potential to empower users in tackling misinformation, some concerns have been raised. A recent study by the Center for Countering Digital Hate found that accurate notes correcting false election claims were often not displayed due to insufficient voting diversity.

Additionally, the speed at which notes are made public is crucial to prevent the spread of harmful information.

This shift by Meta to a totally crowdsourced model is a bold and unique approach to content moderation, but it's going to be important for Meta to address concerns around bias and efficacy. - Melissa Mahtani, Executive Producer at CBS News Confirmed

CBS News' Commitment to Fact-Checking

CBS News remains dedicated to providing accurate information to its audience. Our editorial team at CBS News Confirmed works tirelessly to fact-check claims, expose misinformation, and provide critical context to keep you informed.