Meta’s removal of fact checkers raises disinformation risks and is likely to exacerbate US-EU tensions on tech policy

Event:

The US technology conglomerate Meta announced on 7 January 2025 that it was ending fact checking on Facebook and Instagram. Fact checkers will be replaced by a system of community moderation [LINK]. 

Assessment:

The change represents a high-profile concession on a core political issue for the incoming US presidential administration, with Meta joining the list of companies perceived to be responding to Donald Trump’s transactional approach to governance [LINK]. Regardless of its motivations, the shift has prompted concern among politicians and advocacy groups who have highlighted the rise in dis- and misinformation on X, formerly Twitter, following the adoption of similar moderation practices [LINK].

Fact checkers have been central to efforts by social media platforms to combat adversarial information campaigns. Meta’s removal of this apparatus from its platforms in a key jurisdiction represents a substantial upheaval to current approaches to tackling this issue and will prompt renewed focus on the issue of mis- and disinformation.

Meta has indicated that there are no immediate plans to extend this policy to Europe, where there is far stricter legislation on social media platforms’ responsibility to remove illegal content and flag disinformation [LINK]. The move comes amid heightened tensions between the US and the EU over technology policy and national security [LINK]. 

Outlook:

There is likely to be a short-term spike in users testing the limits of Meta’s new content rules and attempting to manipulate community moderation processes. An accurate assessment of the impact of the changes on Facebook and Instagram as platforms is unlikely within the next year. However, if the changes appear to render the platforms a more permissive environment for certain forms of hate speech and state disinformation campaigns, then this is likely to reduce their attractiveness to advertisers. 

Differences between the EU and the US over technology policy are likely to deepen under the Trump administration, complicating efforts to develop a unified front on other key issues such as relations with China. This division will also likely drive internal tensions with the EU. Right-leaning governments in the EU, such as Hungary, will likely leverage support for Meta’s policy shift to strengthen relations with the Trump administration. In turn, Meta’s changes are likely to spur the introduction of more stringent regulation on social media in other EU countries, such as Norway [LINK].