Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced sweeping changes to the company’s content moderation policies on Tuesday, including the removal of fact-checking systems across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. The move, inspired by the community notes approach used by Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter), aims to simplify Meta's policies and promote free expression.

"We’ve made too many mistakes and enforced too much censorship. The recent elections signal a shift in cultural priorities, and we’re going back to our roots to restore free expression and reduce errors,” Zuckerberg said in a video statement.

The overhaul includes transitioning from independent fact-checkers to a community-driven system where users collaborate to provide additional context to potentially misleading posts. The program will first roll out in the US.

The announcement earned praise from US President-elect Donald Trump, who described Zuckerberg as “impressive” and suggested the decision might have been influenced by his own criticisms of Meta. Elon Musk, a staunch advocate of free speech, also applauded the move, calling it "cool" in a post on X.

Meta has faced criticism from the Republican Party and free-speech advocates, including Musk, over its fact-checking policies, which they have labeled as censorship. Zuckerberg acknowledged the concerns, stating, “Fact-checkers have been too politically biased, and they’ve done more to erode trust than build it.”

To address perceived bias, Meta will also relocate its content moderation teams from California to Texas. Additionally, the company plans to ease restrictions on mainstream discussions while prioritizing enforcement against illegal activities like terrorism, child exploitation, and drug trafficking.

Joel Kaplan, Meta's Chief Global Affairs Officer, noted that the new system reflects lessons learned from X, which empowers its community to collaboratively flag and contextualize contentious content.

The changes mark Meta’s biggest shift in content management to date and signify a new approach to balancing free expression with responsible platform governance.