Meta, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, recently shared exciting news in a blog post on Thursday. They are now inviting people to sign up for a new program called Community Notes. This program is a shift from their previous method of using third-party fact-checkers to verify information. Instead, they are adopting a model that allows users to contribute their own insights, similar to a system used by another platform called X (formerly Twitter).
So, what exactly is Community Notes? It’s a way for users to help identify posts that might be misleading or confusing. If you see something on Facebook, Instagram, or Threads that you think needs more context or clarification, you can add your input. This means that the community of users will play a significant role in determining the accuracy of the information shared on these platforms.
Starting today, anyone interested can sign up to be one of the first contributors to this program. However, there are a few requirements: you need to be at least 18 years old, live in the United States, have an account that’s been active for more than six months, and have a good standing with Meta. Additionally, you must have a verified phone number or use two-factor authentication for security.
Once you’re signed up as a contributor, you can write and submit a Community Note for any post you find misleading. These Notes can provide helpful background information, tips, or other relevant details. However, there’s a limit to how much you can write; each Note can only be 500 characters long and must include a link to support the information you’re sharing.
For a Community Note to be shown on a post, it needs to gain approval from users who typically disagree with the original post, based on how they’ve rated other Notes in the past. If there’s no agreement or if users think a Note isn’t helpful, it won’t be added to the post.
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Importantly, the Community Notes will be created and evaluated by contributors like you and not by Meta itself. However, all submissions must follow Meta’s Community Standards to ensure they are appropriate and respectful.
Meta has also mentioned that they want to be open about how different opinions shape the Notes that appear in their apps, and they are working on ways to communicate this information clearly.
The rollout of Community Notes will begin in the United States over the next few months, but Meta hasn’t provided details on when this feature might be available in other countries.
This decision to move away from traditional fact-checking to a Community Notes approach has sparked discussions. Some believe it reflects a shift in Meta’s strategy, particularly in light of political changes, as CEO Mark Zuckerberg has pointed out that he thinks traditional fact-checkers have been “too politically biased” and have caused more distrust than they’ve built.
In summary, Community Notes is a new initiative that empowers users to contribute to the conversation about what’s true or misleading on social media, allowing for a more community-driven approach to information sharing.
