Meta has faced intense scrutiny over its decision to discontinue its fact-checking program, but the company's top executives are pushing back against criticism, insisting that the move has not impacted advertiser spend. During the company's Q4 2024 earnings call, CFO Susan Li told investors that Meta hasn't "seen any noticeable impact from our content policy changes on advertiser spend," although she didn't provide specific numbers to back up her claim.

Li also highlighted Meta's commitment to brand safety, emphasizing that the company's AI-powered tools are helping businesses maximize the value of their ad spend. Meanwhile, CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the opportunity to elaborate on the reasons behind Meta's fact-checking decision, which currently only applies to the U.S. market.

Zuckerberg credited X (formerly Twitter) with inspiring the community notes feature that has replaced fact-checking on Meta's platform. "I'm not afraid to admit when someone does something that's better than us," he said, adding that the community notes system is "actually just more effective than what we were doing before." The executive's comments have sparked debate about the motivations behind Meta's decision, with some critics accusing the company of abandoning its efforts to combat misinformation.

Zuckerberg pushed back against this interpretation, insisting that the community notes system is a superior approach to adding context and combating misinformation. "That's not right," he said, responding to critics who claim that Meta no longer cares about these issues. "I actually think that the community notes system like what X has had for a while is actually just more effective than what we were doing before, and I think our product is going to get better because of it."

The controversy surrounding Meta's fact-checking decision has been fueled by concerns that the move is politically motivated, particularly given the company's history of copying ideas from its competitors. The decision to end fact-checking in the U.S. has coincided with the return of Donald Trump to power, and some have speculated that Meta is attempting to appease Republican critics who have long complained about being censored on social media.

Meta's willingness to borrow ideas from its competitors is well-documented, with the company having previously borrowed the concept of Stories from Snap. Zuckerberg has been open about this approach, admitting in Congressional antitrust hearings that Facebook had "certainly adapted" features from its competitors. The company's decision to replace fact-checking with community notes has sparked a wave of memes and criticism, with many accusing Meta of prioritizing profits over its responsibility to combat misinformation.

Despite the backlash, Meta's executives appear committed to their new approach, insisting that the community notes system is a superior way to address the complex issues surrounding misinformation. As the company navigates this controversy, it remains to be seen whether advertisers will continue to support Meta's platform, and whether the community notes system will prove effective in combating misinformation.