This Is Cool: Elon Musk After Facebook Ditches Fact-Checkers To Restore Free Speech

New Delhi: Elon Musk, close aide of President-elect Donald Trump who will co-head the Department of Government Efficiency with Vivek Ramaswamy, has reacted to Mark Zuckerberg's big decision to ditch third-party fact checkers on Facebook.

Reacting to a post on his own social media platform, X, formerly Twitter, Elon Musk wrote, “This is cool”.

Musk reaction has come after Facebook followed X and dumped fact checkers for community notes.

Zuckerberg announces role back of fact-checking program 

Mark Zuckerberg, Meta CEO, announced the rollback of its fact-checking program, marking a major shift in the company's approach to moderating online content. Instead of face-checkers, Meta will now introduce “Community Notes”.

Zuckerberg stated that Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, will introduce a new feature called "Community Notes" to promote free expression and enrich more nuanced conversations and the company will no longer rely on fact-checkers to combat misinformation on its platforms.

Meta criticised for handling misinformation  

For years, Meta faced criticism for its handling of misinformation, with many accusing the platform of hypocrisy and inconsistency in its fact-checking practices. Despite its efforts to combat fake news, Meta was often called out for its role in spreading misinformation, sparking debates about censorship, free speech, and the responsibility to regulate online content.

According to Mark Zuckerberg, the decision to move away from fact-checkers is aimed at "restoring free expression" on the platform. Zuckerberg believes that fact-checking can sometimes be overly broad and suppress legitimate discussions. The move comes less than two weeks before the inauguration of Trump's new administration in the United States, which will also see Musk take on a new role overseeing the newly created "Department of Government Efficiency."