Meta taps X's open-source algorithm for its own Community Notes system
Yesterday at 10:07 AM
Meta Platforms Inc. will begin tests of its Community Notes program, a crowd-sourced fact-checking system inspired by Elon Musk's X, on March 18. Meta intends to use Community Notes on Facebook, Instagram, Threads.
The announcement was posted by Meta in a blog post on its official website.
Tapping Into X’s Model
Meta's shift to a Community Notes-style fact-checking system was mentioned by CEO Mark Zuckerberg back in January. At the time, the CEO noted that Meta's existing use of third-party fact-checkers had become "politically biased." Interestingly enough, Meta's Community Notes will build on X's open-source algorithm.
As per the social media giant in its blog post: "We won't be reinventing the wheel. Initially we will use X's open source algorithm as the basis of our rating system. This will allow us to build on what X has created and improve it for our own platforms over time," Meta wrote in its blog post.
Building on X's System
Meta did note that it could eventually develop and explore adjusted iterations of the Community Notes system in the future. The company, however, remained optimistic that its X-inspired crowd-sourced fact-checking system would be "less biased than the third party fact checking program it replaces."
"As X's algorithm and program information is open source – meaning free and available for anyone to use – we can build on what X has done, learn from the researchers who have studied it, and improve the system for our own platforms. As our own version develops, we may explore different or adjusted algorithms to support how Community Notes are ranked and rated," Meta wrote.
Experts Question Crowd-Sourced Approach
Meta's shift to a crowd-sourced fact-checking system has received polarizing reactions. Dan Evon of RumorGuard warned that Meta's decision "not only removes a valuable resource for users, but it also provides an air of legitimacy to a popular disinformation narrative: That fact-checking is politically biased. Fact-checkers provide a valuable service by adding important context to the viral claims that mislead and misinform millions of users on Meta," as noted in a report from the Associated Press.
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