What you need to know
- Meta seems to be testing out Community Notes for Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.
- With this, it looks to create a more unbiased space for people to share varied perspectives on their platform.
- As this feature is still being tested, it won’t show up on the apps as yet.
Meta seems to be taking varied perspectives seriously as it announced today (Mar. 13) that it has begun testing out Community Notes, similar to what X does on its platform.
With this feature, users would add more context about a certain topic as contributors on that platform. This will replace the now active third-party fact-checking feature on all of its apps. However, like X, users would first have to sign up to be contributors for this feature. These contributors will be allowed to write and rate notes on content across Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.
“Around 200,000 potential contributors in the US have signed up so far across all three apps, and the waitlist remains open for those who wish to take part in the program,” Meta explained in a press release.
The presser added that it will initially use X’s open-source algorithm and build on it for Meta’s platforms.
To be a contributor, users need to be over 18, have an account that’s more than 6 months old, and be in good standing, meaning not flagged for misuse. Other than that, the profile should be two-factor authenticated as well.
As users start contributing, Meta says the author’s names will remain anonymous to protect their privacy and show up as “People added a community note” under the said image/topic. Contributors will be able to submit notes on anything, including stuff posted by Meta, politicians, and other public figures. However, they won’t be able to add to advertisements.
As for how it works, once contributors add their viewpoints on a certain topic limited to 500 characters, it won’t be published on a post “unless contributors with a range of viewpoints broadly agree on them.”
“No matter how many contributors agree on a note, it won’t be published unless people who normally disagree decide that it provides helpful context,” the presser explained. Additionally, when community notes are added to a specific image/topic, it won’t flag the post the way that fact-checking would.
Meta adds that these notes will not showcase the opinions of the company but will attempt to create a more unbiased platform for people to voice their opinions.
Lastly, Community Notes will be showcased in six different languages commonly used in the United States. This includes English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, French, Portuguese, and other languages will be expanded over time. That said, this feature will first be tested out in the U.S. starting Mar. 18 and then be rolled out to a wider audience.