Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, is replacing professional fact-checking with a system called Community Notes, inspired by Elon Musk's X model. The change directly affects users in Latin America, who will be without the oversight of independent journalists in verifying questionable content on the platforms.
Brazil was excluded from this change due to rules established by the Brazilian government, keeping professional fact-checking active. Meta's decision to eliminate the fact-checking program was made even as the company continues to dominate social media consumption in the region.
Experts warn that without a professional checking program, misinformation tends to spread more rapidly, compromising the quality of public debate. Alejandro Martín del Campo, from the Observatory, was cited warning about the considerable consequences of this decision for the region, which is already facing a shift to the far right.
