Meta’s Community Notes to use open-source tech from Elon Musk’s X to combat misinformation

Two months after scrapping third-party fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram, the company announced that its upcoming Community Notes feature will use open-source technology from Elon Musk’s X. The decision is part of Meta’s new approach to tackling misinformation.

Community Notes is Meta’s latest move to shift content moderation into the hands of its users. Modeled after X’s crowdsourced system, it will allow contributors to add context to posts that might be misleading. The social giant plans to start testing the feature next week in the U.S.

In a blog post on Thursday, Meta explained that Community Notes will be powered by the same open-source algorithm used by X. Over time, Meta plans to adapt the algorithm to better fit the needs of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.

“Many of you will be familiar with X’s Community Notes system, in which users add context to posts. That’s the broad approach we are adopting,” Meta said in the blog post.

Inside Meta’s Plan to Crowdsource Misinformation Checks

“As X’s algorithm and program information is open source — meaning free and available for anyone to use— we can build on what X has done, learn from the researchers who have studied it, and improve the system for our own platforms,” Meta said. “As our own version develops, we may explore different or adjusted algorithms to support how Community Notes are ranked and rated.”

How Do Community Notes Work?

Meta explained that the system will be similar to X’s Community Notes, where users add context to posts. Meta said it will not decide what gets rated or written – that responsibility will fall to contributors from its community.

To safeguard against bias, Meta stated that notes wouldn’t be published unless contributors with a range of viewpoints broadly agree. The company emphasized that this isn’t about majority rule. Even if many contributors agree on a note, it won’t be published unless people who normally disagree also consider it helpful.

“Community Notes will have a limit of 500 characters and will need to include a link to support the note,” Meta added.

Who Can Contribute to Community Notes?

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg first introduced the idea of Community Notes in January, positioning it as a replacement for traditional fact-checking. The change came alongside a broader shift in Meta’s moderation policies.

Users who want to contribute to Community Notes need to be over 18 and have a verified phone number. However, contributors won’t be able to submit notes on advertisements. They will, though, be able to add context to other content, including posts from Meta, company executives, politicians, and public figures.

Content flagged with a Community Note can’t be appealed, but it also won’t face any additional penalties. “Notes will provide extra context, but they won’t impact who can see the content or how widely it can be shared,” Meta noted.

Despite the move, Meta says that Community Notes isn’t a substitute for content moderation. A spokesperson told CNBC that moderation efforts will continue separately.

For now, Meta doesn’t plan to open-source its version of Community Notes or release technical details. However, Rachel Lambert, Meta’s director of product management, said they might consider doing so in the future.

So far, about 200,000 people have signed up to contribute to Community Notes, and Meta is still accepting new applicants.

Neil Johnson, a physics professor at George Washington University who studies how misinformation spreads online, believes Community Notes can add helpful context. Still, he warns it’s not a replacement for formal fact-checking. Johnson pointed out that such systems can be vulnerable to manipulation by groups with specific agendas.

To guard against this, Meta said that publishing a note requires agreement among multiple contributors. The idea is to prevent organized campaigns from influencing what notes get published or how they’re phrased.

Meta plans to expand Community Notes across the U.S. once it’s satisfied with the results from initial testing. “We will continue to learn and improve it as we go,” the company said.