#124 Unfriending the truth - Behind Meta's decision to end fact-checking

We're back in 2025.

In this episode we break down Meta's decision to cease factchecking and permit dehumanising speech on its platforms.

We explore the likely motivations and impacts of these changes, and the broader takeaways for Australia.

Links:

Article about Meta's factchecking changes (Reuters) https://www.reuters.com/technology/meta-ends-third-party-fact-checking-program-adopts-x-like-community-notes-model-2025-01-07/

Analysis of factchecking changes (Platformer) https://www.platformer.news/meta-trump-pivot-messenger-themes-labor-zuckerberg-wishlist/

Detail on Meta's change to dehumanising speech (Platformer) https://www.platformer.news/meta-new-trans-guidelines-hate-speech/?ref=platformer-newsletter

Oped on factchecking changes (NYT) https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/14/opinion/meta-fact-checking-policy.html

Article on response to factchecking changes (Guardian) https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jan/08/australia-meta-ending-factchecking-facebook-misinformation-sarah-hanson-young

Meta explainer on its factchecking https://transparency.meta.com/en-gb/features/how-fact-checking-works/

Meta's marked up Hateful Conduct Policy (Meta) https://transparency.meta.com/en-gb/policies/community-standards/hateful-conduct/

Blog post on why collective understandings on social media can be dangerous (Programmable Mutter) https://www.programmablemutter.com/p/were-getting-the-social-media-crisis

Blog post about Zuck's weird 'masculine energy' thing (Unmanned) https://sorayachemaly.substack.com/p/1-masculine-energy-or-the-vengeful

Credits:

Editing and post-production by Martin Franklin (East Coast Studio) eastcoaststudio.com.au

Music by Bensound.com