Meta has announced the rollout of its new Community Notes feature on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads in the United States, starting March 18. This initiative marks the company’s shift away from its third-party fact-checking program, which it plans to discontinue in favor of a crowd-sourced model.
Similar to X’s (formerly Twitter’s) system, Community Notes will allow users to add context to posts, providing more perspectives on potentially misleading content. Meta believes this new approach will be less biased than the previous system since it enables broader user participation.
Gradual Rollout, Contributor Eligibility, and Multilingual Support for Community Notes
Initially, Community Notes will not be visible to the public, as Meta is taking a gradual and measured approach to its implementation. Around 200,000 users who have signed up across Meta’s platforms will be randomly selected to contribute to the feature. Meta plans to test the system internally before making it available to the public to ensure its effectiveness. The company emphasized that it intends to develop the feature carefully to avoid potential issues and maintain credibility.
Meta Introduces Community Notes on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads to Replace Fact-Checking SystemTo participate in Community Notes, contributors must meet specific criteria, including being at least 18 years old, having an account that is over six months old and in good standing, and either possessing a verified phone number or being enrolled in two-factor authentication.
Notes will be limited to 500 characters and must include a source link for validation. Additionally, contributors will initially remain anonymous to promote impartiality. The feature will support six languages commonly spoken in the U.S.: English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, French, and Portuguese.
Community Notes: Limited Scope, No Impact on Visibility, and Future Global Expansion
Community Notes contributors will not be allowed to annotate advertisements, but they will be able to add context to posts from Meta, public figures, and political accounts. Unlike traditional fact-checking, Community Notes will not impact a post’s visibility or distribution.
Meta has emphasized that the system does not work on a majority-rules basis—a note will only be published if contributors with differing viewpoints agree that it provides useful context. To enhance the system’s accuracy, Meta is using X’s open-source algorithm, which evaluates contributors’ historical ratings and seeks diverse perspectives.
Meta acknowledges that Community Notes will not be perfect from the start and plans to refine the system over time based on user feedback. Once the feature is proven effective, it will completely replace third-party fact-checking in the U.S., meaning no new fact-check labels will be applied.
However, former fact-checkers will still be welcome to participate as contributors. While Meta intends to expand Community Notes globally, it has no immediate plans for an international launch. Until then, the existing third-party fact-checking system will continue operating outside the U.S.