Concerns about fake news arise after Meta stops content moderation.

(CLO) Meta's controversial decision to halt content censorship is seriously threatening the future of combating fake news in India.

Early Tuesday morning (January 7th), Silicon Valley time, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, announced a major revolution at Meta, focusing on loosening content controls and prioritizing free speech. The decision to eliminate third-party fact-checking shows Meta is willing to take risks to create an open forum for all opinions, even if this could lead to controversy.

One of the media organizations most affected by this decision is The Quint – a reputable Indian media organization with a team of 40 journalists, which had partnered with Meta to establish the Webqoof division, dedicated to combating fake news and raising media awareness.

Photo: The Quint

Although Quint's size has shrunk in recent years due to the general difficulties facing the Indian media industry, the Webqoof team remains stable with around 6-7 members. Thanks to steady funding from Meta's fact-checking program, the team publishes approximately 90 articles per month, focusing on debunking misinformation and raising public awareness.

Meta's decision to end its fact-checking program has caused considerable unease within the global anti-fake news community. Quint journalists, who relied heavily on this funding, have expressed deep concern about the future of their projects and worry about the further spread of misinformation.

Through a partnership program, Meta paid organizations like Quint to verify the accuracy of information on its platform. Journalists would assess and provide evidence against misinformation, helping users identify and avoid fake news. While not a perfect solution, this program benefited both Meta and the news organizations, contributing to a cleaner online environment.

Cutting resources to support information control in India would have serious consequences, particularly for the Muslim community. Amidst political tensions and the rise of misinformation on social media, withdrawing these resources would exacerbate discrimination and violence, threatening social stability.

The 2023 train accident is a prime example of the harm caused by fake news. Immediately after the incident, misinformation spread widely online, blaming a Muslim station manager. Thanks to the efforts of fact-checkers like The Quint, this information was quickly verified as false and flagged with warnings on social media platforms. This demonstrates the importance of fact-checking and the role of platforms in preventing the spread of fake news.

"We all agree that Zuckerberg's 'Community Notes' feature will never achieve the same effectiveness and credibility as partnering with fact-checking partners," a journalist at Quint shared. "Having professional journalists conduct fact-checking according to journalistic standards will yield far more accurate and reliable results."

Phan Anh (according to Quint, CIR)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/to-bao-an-do-mat-nguon-thu-va-moi-lo-tin-gia-sau-khi-meta-dung-kiem-duyet-noi-dung-post330331.html