Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Earlier this month, Meta, the parent company of four of the world’s top 10 social media platforms, including Facebook, announced it would end its third-party fact-checking programme in the US. Instead, it plans to implement a community notes system similar to that used by X (formerly Twitter).
In a similar vein, Alphabet, which owns YouTube—the second-largest social media platform—recently informed the European Union that it would not integrate fact-checking into Google search results or YouTube videos, despite new EU regulatory requirements. Meta’s decision, currently limited to the US, has sparked concerns among fact-checking organizations. Read this | Mint Primer | Fact and fiction: (Un)importance of fact-checkers The rise of digital media and social media influencers has driven an increase in fact-checking organizations.
According to a Pew Research Center analysis, approximately 21% of US adults regularly get their news from influencers on social media. These influencers are primarily active on X, though many maintain a presence on other platforms as well. The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) has 137 signatory organizations worldwide.
Meta’s fact-checking programme, the largest of any platform, partners with over 90 fact-checking organizations and supports content in more than 60 languages. Between 2016 and 2022, Meta reported contributing over $100 million to its fact-checking initiatives. TikTok, by comparison, has partnered with around 15 organizations.
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