Meta’s decision to terminate its third-party fact-checking program has led to criticism from its employees.

They expressed concerns about potential increases in misinformation and harmful content, particularly on immigration and gender identity.

Meta’s global affairs chief Joel Kaplan explained the policy change aims to uphold “free expression” and follow significant developments, such as a US$1 million contribution to Trump’s inauguration and the appointment of UFC CEO Dana White to Meta’s board.

Meta will shift to a user-driven fact-checking approach, modeled after X’s Community Notes feature, while focusing enforcement priorities to focus on illegal and high-severity violations.