Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has announced that it will maintain its fact-checking program outside of the United States, despite plans to replace its fact-checkers with a community notes system domestically. In an interview with Bloomberg at the Davos conference on Monday, Meta's head of global business, Nicola Mendelsohn, revealed that the company has no immediate plans to change its approach to fact-checking in the rest of the world.

The decision comes as a surprise, given Meta's recent announcement that it would be replacing its fact-checkers with a community notes system, similar to that used by Elon Musk's X. The move was seen as a response to criticism over the spread of misinformation on its platforms, and was expected to be rolled out globally. However, it appears that Meta is taking a more cautious approach, at least for now.

Mendelsohn hinted that the company may eventually expand its community notes system to other regions, but emphasized that it would be a gradual process. "We'll see how that goes as we move it out over the years," she said. In the meantime, Meta will continue to work with its existing fact-checking partners around the world.

The decision to maintain the fact-checking program outside of the US may be driven by the regulatory landscape in other regions. In Europe, for example, the Digital Services Act (DSA) places strict regulations on tech companies to curb the spread of deceptive content. Implementing a community notes system in these regions could be more challenging, and may require significant changes to the platform's architecture.

Industry experts have long argued that fact-checking is a critical component of any social media platform, and that abandoning it could have serious consequences for the spread of misinformation. By maintaining its fact-checking program outside of the US, Meta is acknowledging the importance of this function, even as it experiments with new approaches domestically.

The move also raises questions about the long-term viability of community notes systems as a replacement for fact-checking. While these systems can be effective in certain contexts, they are often reliant on user participation and may not be as effective in detecting and removing misinformation. As Meta continues to experiment with its approach to fact-checking, it will be closely watched by regulators, users, and the tech industry as a whole.

In conclusion, Meta's decision to maintain its fact-checking program outside of the US is a significant development, and one that underscores the complexity of addressing misinformation on social media platforms. As the company continues to navigate this issue, it will be important to monitor its progress and assess the effectiveness of its approaches in different regions.