Meta board member ‘very concerned’ about effects of fact-checker removal

ISTANBUL

Helle Thorning-Schmidt, a member of Meta's oversight board, said she is "very concerned" about the effects of the company’s decision to eliminate fact-checkers on minority groups.

Thorning-Schmidt said she welcomed certain aspects of the policy shift, such as allowing users to determine the accuracy of posts through a community-based feature similar to "Community Notes" on X. but emphasized that there were "huge problems" with the announcement.

"We are seeing many instances where hate speech can lead to real-life harm, so we will be watching that space very carefully," she said in an interview on Today on BBC Radio Four.

In a video blog post Tuesday, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg explained that the decision was driven by “getting back to our roots around free expression,” adding, “We're replacing fact checkers with Community Notes, simplifying our policies and focusing on reducing mistakes.

Thorning-Schmidt, a former prime minister of Denmark, emphasized that the changes to fact-checking made it more essential than ever.

"That's why it is good we have an oversight board that can discuss this in a transparent way with Meta," she said.

She expressed cautious support for certain elements of Meta's moderation update, including plans to develop a new fact-checking system after cases of “over-enforcement,” which saw users face temporary restrictions, colloquially referred to as "Facebook jail."

“I think they are trying to find a way of existing in this new environment,” she said in response to the question about whether Zuckerberg is “cozying up” to US President-elect Donald Trump on the Today program.

In a significant policy change, Meta will eliminate its fact-checking system and introduce a community notes feature, similar to X, starting in the US.

Zuckerberg said that although the fact-checking system was introduced in "good faith" after the 2016 election, it has "been too politically biased and has destroyed more trust than they've created."

The company plans to remove numerous content restrictions, especially on sensitive topics. Zuckerberg acknowledged the risks of the strategy shift. "It means we're going to catch less bad stuff, but we'll also reduce the number of innocent people's posts and accounts that we accidentally take down," he said. "What started as a movement to be more inclusive has increasingly been used to shut down opinions," she added, pledging to create greater space for diverse viewpoints.