Meta will battle misinformation by fact-checking content on Threads،
Meta's latest addition, Threads, released earlier this summer and is now gearing up for a European launch. This social media app, born in response to Elon Musk's X, is constantly rolling out updates and features. One of these additions is “Tags”, aimed at simplifying the way users categorize and discover content. But Threads' latest initiative is an effort to strengthen content moderation on the platform. Engaged reports, Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, said the company was developing a fact-checking program. Although details of the program have not yet been revealed, Mosseri mentions that Threads “match fact-checking notes from Facebook or Instagram to discussions“.
Currently, Threads does not allow fact-checkers to directly evaluate content. Instead, when something is flagged as false on Instagram or Facebook, those assessments from fact checkers will trickle down to Threads. Mosseri's vision is for fact-checking partners to have the ability to review and evaluate misinformation within the app.
This fact-checking program is expected to roll out early next year. Meta explains that third-party fact-checking partners will identify and review content circulating on Threads. Users will have the autonomy to adjust the default level of “reviewed content demotions” in their feeds, increasing it, decreasing it, or maintaining it. If a user decides to view less sensitive content on Instagram, those preferences will carry over to their Discussions view.
Social media platforms are under pressure to strengthen their defenses against the spread of misinformation. The introduction of a fact-checking system aligns with Meta's recent initiatives, such as blocking certain words “previously linked” to misinformation on the platform when introducing a search tool.
While offering a fact-checking feature is a notable move, it doesn't necessarily mean that Threads is aiming to become the new digital news hub. Elon Musk's X, on the other hand, has set its sights on this goal, marking one year since Elon Musk ascended to the Twitter throne.
