Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced a series of significant changes this week, signaling a shift in its approach to both e-commerce and content moderation.
On Wednesday, the company revealed plans to test integrating eBay listings into Facebook Marketplace, while on Tuesday, it announced the abandonment of independent fact-checkers, replacing them with a user-driven “community notes” system, similar to that of X.
These moves come amidst ongoing regulatory scrutiny and evolving political dynamics, signaling a strategic recalibration by Meta.
eBay listings to appear on Facebook marketplace
Meta will launch a test in Germany, France, and the United States to allow users to browse eBay listings directly on Facebook Marketplace.
Transactions will still be completed on eBay, but this partnership will offer eBay sellers increased exposure to Facebook’s extensive audience, while Marketplace users gain access to a wider array of listings from the eBay community.
Meta noted that this strategic move aims to address points raised by the European Commission, which fined Meta $840 million in November for abusive practices benefitting Facebook Marketplace.
While Meta said it is appealing this decision, it is working to address the points raised.
The European Commission did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Meta ditches fact-checkers, embraces “community notes”
In a more controversial move, Meta is abandoning the use of independent fact-checkers on Facebook and Instagram, replacing them with a “community notes” system, where commenting on the accuracy of posts is left to users.
In a video posted on Tuesday, along with a blog post, CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated that third-party moderators were “too politically biased” and that it was “time to get back to our roots around free expression”.
This decision comes as Zuckerberg and other tech executives seek to improve relations with US President-elect Donald Trump.
Political pressure and backlash
Trump and his Republican allies have long criticized Meta for its fact-checking policy, denouncing it as censorship of right-wing voices.
Trump expressed his approval of the changes, noting after the announcement that he was impressed by Zuckerberg’s decision.
When asked if Zuckerberg was “directly responding” to past threats from him, Trump responded: “Probably”.
Joel Kaplan, a prominent Republican who is taking over from Sir Nick Clegg as Meta’s global affairs chief, stated that the company’s reliance on independent moderators was “well-intentioned” but had resulted in censoring.
Campaigners against hate speech online reacted with dismay to the change, suggesting it was a move to cozy up to the incoming Trump administration.
“Zuckerberg’s announcement is a blatant attempt to cozy up to the incoming Trump administration – with harmful implications,” Ava Lee from Global Witness told Reuters.
“Claiming to avoid “censorship” is a political move to avoid taking responsibility for hate and disinformation that platforms encourage and facilitate,” she added.
Emulating X’s moderation system
Meta’s existing fact-checking program, introduced in 2016, refers posts that appear false or misleading to independent organizations.
These posts are then labeled, and can be moved lower in users’ feeds.
The company plans to replace this with “community notes,” a system where users of differing viewpoints agree on notes that add context or clarification to controversial posts.
The system, which will be first introduced in the US, mirrors X’s community notes. Elon Musk, the owner of X, responded to Meta’s decision by saying, “This is cool.”
Meta clarified that there would be “no change to how we treat content that encourages suicide, self-injury, and eating disorders.”
Fact-checking organization Full Fact, which participates in Facebook’s verification program in Europe, stated that it “refutes allegations of bias” made against its profession, with chief executive Chris Morris describing the change as a “disappointing and a backwards step that risks a chilling effect around the world.”
Meta said it has “no immediate plans” to remove its third-party fact checkers in the UK or the EU.
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