Meta ended its U.S. fact-checking program in January 2025 and replaced it with Community Notes, a crowdsourced system copied from X. Its own Oversight Board rebuked the change that April, saying it was announced hastily with no public evidence of human rights review.
The results have been thin. A Washington Post columnist who drafted 65 notes in August 2025 found the system failed to dent most false claims. Joel Kaplan, the Republican brought in to run policy weeks before Trump's inauguration, announced in October 2026 that he will leave after 15 years. Separately, Meta delayed new business terms until Nov. 20 after publishers objected that the terms would let it scrape business websites for AI and product work. Meta says site owners can still block its crawler through robots.txt, but critics say the written terms do not say so.
Why it matters
Whether three billion people see falsehoods corrected on Facebook and Instagram now depends on volunteer note-writers and a White House Meta worked to please.
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Key Indicators
90+
Global fact-checking partners Meta funds
Program continues outside the U.S. but faces uncertain future
65
Community Notes drafted in Post test
Columnist's August 2025 experiment found notes rarely corrected false claims
15 years
Joel Kaplan's tenure at Meta
Left the company in October 2026
$1M
Meta donation to Trump inauguration
First inauguration donation in company history
Voices
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23 events
Latest: October 23rd, 2026 · 3 weeks ago
Showing 8 of 23
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October 2026
Meta Delays Business Terms Covering Web Scraping
LatestPolicy
Meta moved the effective date of updated commercial terms from Oct. 30 to Nov. 20 after publisher pushback. The UK Competition and Markets Authority said Meta paused implementation while it reviews the terms.
Joel Kaplan to Leave Meta After 15 Years
Personnel
Meta's global affairs chief, who replaced Nick Clegg in January 2025 and oversaw the fact-checking rollback, announced his departure.
August 2025
Post Test Finds Community Notes Barely Working
Media
A Washington Post tech columnist drafted 65 Community Notes and reported the system 'failed to make a dent' in false claims, including a viral hoax about Trump at the Pope's funeral.
April 2025
Oversight Board Rebukes Meta Over Rollback
Oversight
Meta's funded-but-independent board urged the company to assess the changes' 'potential adverse effects' globally and improve enforcement of anti-bullying rules. Meta said it would respond within 60 days.
January 2025
Trump Signs 'Restoring Freedom of Speech' Order
Legal
On Inauguration Day, Trump issues executive order claiming Biden 'trampled free speech rights' through content moderation pressure.
Meta Relaxes Hate Speech Rules
Policy
New policies allow calling LGBTQ people 'mentally ill,' immigrants 'filth' as political commentary. Advocacy groups warn of real-world harms.
Meta Ends U.S. Fact-Checking Program
Policy
On fourth anniversary of Trump ban, Zuckerberg announces end to third-party fact-checkers, citing political bias. Adopts X's Community Notes.
Joel Kaplan Replaces Nick Clegg as Policy Chief
Personnel
Bush administration veteran elevated to president of global affairs three weeks before Trump inauguration.
Dana White Joins Meta Board
Personnel
UFC president and prominent Trump ally appointed to board alongside tech investor Charlie Songhurst and auto executive John Elkann.
U.S. Fact-Checking Program Officially Shuts Down
Policy
Meta's chief global policy officer said no new fact checks would be written and no fact-checkers retained in the U.S. Community Notes began appearing across Facebook, Threads and Instagram.
2025
UN Expert Presses Meta on Rights Impact
Legal
The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression wrote to Zuckerberg asking whether any human rights impact assessment preceded the January 2025 changes and how risks from Community Notes would be handled.
December 2024
Meta Donates $1M to Trump Inauguration
Business
First inauguration donation in company history. Did not donate to Trump's 2017 or Biden's 2021 inaugurations.
November 2024
Zuckerberg Dines with Trump at Mar-a-Lago
Meeting
Thanksgiving eve dinner signals rapprochement. Meta spokesperson says Zuckerberg 'grateful' for the opportunity.
Trump Wins Presidential Election
Political
Trump defeats Harris, securing second term. Zuckerberg does not endorse but praises Trump's campaign resilience.
August 2024
Zuckerberg Admits Biden Admin Pressure
Statement
In letter to Congress, Zuckerberg says Biden officials 'pressured' Meta to censor COVID content, expresses regret.
July 2024
Trump Assassination Attempt, Musk Endorses
Political
After Butler, PA shooting, Musk publicly endorses Trump. Zuckerberg calls Trump's response 'badass.'
January 2023
Meta Reinstates Trump After Two-Year Ban
Policy
Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts restored with 'guardrails' to prevent future violations.
October 2022
Elon Musk Acquires Twitter, Overhauls Moderation
Business
Musk purchases Twitter for $44B, eliminates trust and safety teams, replaces fact-checking with Community Notes.
One day after insurrection, Zuckerberg bans Trump, saying risks of allowing him to continue are 'too great.'
October 2020
Meta Demotes Hunter Biden Laptop Story
Moderation
After FBI warning about Russian disinformation, Meta reduces distribution of New York Post article. Zuckerberg later calls this a mistake.
May 2020
Trump Signs Anti-Section 230 Executive Order
Legal
Trump issues 'Preventing Online Censorship' order targeting social media legal protections, later rescinded by Biden.
December 2016
Meta Launches Third-Party Fact-Checking Program
Policy
Facebook partners with independent fact-checkers including PolitiFact to combat election misinformation, eventually expanding to 90+ organizations worldwide.
November 2016
Russian Interference in U.S. Election via Facebook
Investigation
Russian operatives used Facebook to spread disinformation during 2016 presidential election, prompting platform's first fact-checking efforts.
Discussed by: Anti-Defamation League, Brennan Center for Justice, content moderation researchers
If Meta's approach succeeds without major advertiser backlash or regulatory consequences, YouTube, TikTok, and other platforms abandon professional fact-checking for user-driven systems. The IFCN's global network—already facing funding uncertainty—collapses as platforms cut contracts. Misinformation spreads unchecked during the 2026 midterms and 2028 presidential race. European regulators attempt enforcement under the Digital Services Act, but platforms simply geo-fence their loosened policies to the U.S. market, creating a two-tier internet.
2
Advertiser Revolt Forces Meta to Restore Some Safeguards
Likely
Discussed by: Brand safety analysts, civil rights organizations like GLAAD and HRC
Major advertisers—already skittish after X's revenue collapse under Musk—demand brand safety guarantees Meta can't provide under Community Notes alone. A viral hate campaign targeting a marginalized group goes unchecked, generating damaging headlines. Meta quietly restores automated content filters and creates a hybrid system: Community Notes for political speech, professional moderation for hate speech and violence. Zuckerberg frames this as 'listening to feedback' while maintaining the free speech narrative.
3
Trump Turns on Meta Anyway, Demands More Concessions
Possible
Discussed by: Tech policy analysts, former Trump administration officials
Despite Meta's overtures, Trump uses threats of antitrust action and Section 230 reform to extract further concessions: removing fact-checks on his posts entirely, promoting conservative content in algorithms, or handing over user data for immigration enforcement. Zuckerberg discovers that appeasement only invites more demands. Other tech CEOs—having watched Zuckerberg's capitulation—face the same playbook. The content moderation wars of 2016-2024 give way to direct White House control over platform policies.
4
Community Notes Works Better Than Expected, Becomes New Standard
Unlikely
Discussed by: University of Washington researchers, some content moderation scholars
Meta's implementation of Community Notes—combined with lessons from X's failures—proves more effective than critics predicted. The bridging algorithm requiring ideological diversity prevents partisan capture. Users feel empowered rather than censored. Misinformation still spreads, but high-profile false claims get corrected fast enough to matter. Congressional Republicans drop threats against Section 230. The fact-checking industry pivots to training Community Notes contributors and providing research rather than top-down verdicts. By 2028, even critics grudgingly admit it works.
5
Kaplan's Exit Precedes a Partial Retreat on Community Notes
Possible
Resolves by Q2 2027
Discussed by: Former Meta trust and safety staff, EU regulators
With the architect of the January 2025 rollback gone, Meta faces pressure from European regulators and advertisers to show Community Notes works. The company could keep the U.S. system as-is while restoring professional review in Europe, leaving two different sets of rules for the same posts.
6
Meta Narrows Scraping Terms Before Nov. 20
Possible
Resolves by Nov 20, 2026
Discussed by: European Publishers Council, UK Competition and Markets Authority
Meta rewrites the commercial terms to name its web crawler and tie scraping to robots.txt settings before the new date. Publishers say the revised text still falls short if it keeps a broad licence for AI and product uses.
Historical Context
3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.
1 of 3
1949-1987
Radio Deregulation and the Fairness Doctrine Repeal (1987)
For 38 years, the FCC's Fairness Doctrine required broadcasters to present controversial issues and offer contrasting viewpoints. The Reagan-era FCC eliminated it in 1987, arguing the marketplace of ideas would self-regulate. Conservative talk radio exploded, with Rush Limbaugh launching nationally in 1988. Within a decade, AM radio became dominated by partisan voices. Democrats spent years trying to restore the doctrine through legislation but failed.
Then
Radio became more politically diverse in volume but more ideologically segregated, with conservative voices dominating AM frequencies.
Now
Created the template for partisan media ecosystems, proving that eliminating content guardrails doesn't produce balanced debate—it produces market-driven echo chambers.
Why this matters now
Meta's shift from professional fact-checking to user-driven notes echoes the Fairness Doctrine repeal: both bet that removing editorial standards will enhance free speech rather than enable the loudest, most extreme voices to dominate.
2 of 3
2021-2023
Twitter Bans Trump, Then Musk Restores Him (2021-2022)
Twitter permanently suspended Trump on January 8, 2021, citing risk of violence after the Capitol riot. Elon Musk acquired the platform in October 2022 for $44 billion, immediately gutted content moderation teams, and restored Trump's account in November 2022 via a user poll. Musk reframed moderation as censorship and replaced professional fact-checking with Community Notes. Advertisers fled, revenue collapsed by nearly 50%, but Musk maintained his free speech absolutist stance.
Then
X lost major advertisers, saw hate speech increase, and became a partisan platform favoring right-wing content. Trump barely used his restored account.
Now
X's transformation demonstrated that a major platform could survive—albeit diminished—by abandoning mainstream content moderation and embracing a political identity.
Why this matters now
Meta is following Musk's playbook but with higher stakes: Facebook and Instagram have 3 billion users and far deeper advertiser relationships. If Meta's shift succeeds where X struggled financially, it proves content moderation rollbacks can work at scale.
3 of 3
1974-1984
Telecom Companies and AT&T Antitrust Settlement (1982)
After a decade-long antitrust battle, AT&T agreed in 1982 to break up its monopoly, spinning off local Bell operating companies in exchange for entering new markets. AT&T's leadership believed cooperation with Reagan's Justice Department would preserve its long-term interests. The deal transformed telecommunications but also set a precedent for how dominant tech companies negotiate with hostile administrations: offer concessions to avoid annihilation.
Then
AT&T lost its local telephone monopoly but gained freedom to compete in computers and long distance, initially thriving.
Now
The Baby Bells eventually reconsolidated through mergers. AT&T itself was acquired by one of its former subsidiaries. Voluntary breakup didn't guarantee survival—it just delayed consolidation.
Why this matters now
Zuckerberg is making a similar calculation: give Trump what he wants on content moderation to avoid what he really fears—antitrust breakup of Meta. Like AT&T's executives in 1982, he's betting concessions today prevent destruction tomorrow.
