Introduction of Community Notes

Meta has announced the introduction of Community Notes, a feature that enables users to write and rate notes on posts, aiming to provide a more community-driven approach to fact-checking and content moderation.

The feature, which will be tested starting March 18th on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads in the US, is designed to be less prone to bias and will allow contributors to write and rate notes, which will only be published if they are broadly agreed upon by contributors with diverse viewpoints.

Key Features of Community Notes

Community Notes will have a character limit of 500 characters and will require a link to back up the information provided. Initially, the notes will not display author names, and contributors will be required to meet certain criteria, including being over 18 years old, having an account in good standing for over six months, and having a verified phone number or two-factor authentication.

Contributors will not be able to write notes on advertisements at launch, but they will be able to add notes to almost any other form of content, including posts from Meta and its executives, politicians, and more. Community Notes will be available in six languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, French, and Portuguese.

Future Plans for Community Notes

While Community Notes will initially be available only in the US, Meta plans to expand the feature globally in the future. The company will still use its third-party fact-checking system outside the US.