Meta ditches fact-checkers, embraces Community Notes

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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced a significant shift in the company's content moderation approach, emphasizing free speech and reducing censorship. This includes abandoning its fact-checking program and transitioning to a Community Notes model, similar to X (formerly Twitter), across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.

Zuckerberg argues that complex moderation systems often lead to unintended censorship, impacting millions of users. By empowering the community to assess and provide context for potentially misleading information through Community Notes, Meta aims to improve accuracy and reduce reliance on internal fact-checkers. While Community Notes have shown promise on other platforms, concerns remain about their effectiveness in preventing misinformation spread.

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EU privacy rules may force Meta to offer subscription options for its apps

Meta might charge European Instagram users US$14 (around CA$19) per month to avoid targeted ads. It could also offer a US$17 (~CA$23) monthly fee for ad-free Facebook and Instagram on desktop. Meta reportedly plans to force subscriptions on users who reject ad tracking, based on their personal data. This is in response to a court ruling that Facebook must get users’ consent to access their data.

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Meta’s news ban in Canada doesn't affect Facebook usage, data shows

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Meta’s decision to block news links in Canada has not affected Facebook usage, according to data from Similarweb and Data.ai. The company faces criticism from the Canadian government over the move, which is a response to a new law that requires platforms to pay publishers for news content. (Google plans to do the same once the law takes effect.)

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Instagram's 'Quiet mode' comes to Facebook

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Meta is introducing new features to help users manage their time and well-being on its apps, especially for teens. One is the "Quiet mode," which lets users mute notifications and auto-reply to messages that they are taking a break. This feature, which was first available on Instagram, will now be extended to Facebook. Users will also get a reminder to take a break after 20 minutes of using the app.

Another feature is a nudge for teens who watch Reels late at night to close the app and sleep. Meta said these nudges are designed to promote healthy habits and balance online and offline activities. Teens can choose to ignore these nudges or opt out of parental supervision altogether.

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