Want to share something outrageous on Facebook without facing any fact-checking? Just turn it into a paid advertisement, it seems.
In early January, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that the platform would be substituting its fact-checkers with Community Notes, a feature designed to enhance accuracy and transparency. However, a report from *Reuters* indicates that Community Notes will not be applicable to paid advertisements, meaning they will be free from the oversight intended for organic posts. This information, obtained anonymously, underscores a notable drawback of the new system. As initially reported by *The Wall Street Journal*, elements of the program may still change, but for now, fact-checking is entirely absent.
Meta’s transition to Community Notes parallels a similar shift by Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) and has drawn considerable criticism. Nora Benavidez, Senior Counsel and Director of Digital Justice and Civil Rights at Free Press, condemned the move in a press release, asserting that content moderation is not merely about limiting free speech but about nurturing meaningful discussions and safeguarding truth.
“While Zuckerberg presented this alteration as a protection of free expression, the reality is more troubling,” Benavidez remarked. “This choice evades Meta’s duty to protect its users and aligns the company with a political agenda that compromises accountability.”
### SEE ALSO:
[Mark Zuckerberg wants more ‘masculine energy’ in corporate America](https://mashable.com/article/mark-zuckerberg-joe-rogan-masculine-feminine-energy)
The exclusion of paid ads from the scrutiny of Community Notes highlights a recurring trend in Zuckerberg’s leadership: placing profit ahead of people. When X introduced Community Notes, it allegedly experienced a substantial drop in advertising revenue as users flagged misleading or problematic ads, including deceptive dropshipping schemes, inaccurate mobile game promotions, and AI-related copyright issues. Meta’s strategy seems aimed at preventing similar financial declines by protecting paid advertisements from public accountability. It remains uncertain whether this exemption will apply to paid endorsements by celebrities and influencers.
This strategy is part of a larger trend of contentious decisions by Meta, such as the removal of fact-checkers, the retraction of bans on specific hate speech, the dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, and the removal of trans-inclusive features. Critics maintain that these changes appear hurried and politically motivated, potentially intended to placate the Trump administration. As these policies are implemented, their complete ramifications for Meta’s platforms—and their users—are yet to be determined.