Meta’s New AI Content Disclosure Tag: What it Means for Socials

Meta has announced it will stop fact-checking and switch to a controversial ‘Community Notes’ system. With this remarkable move, the platform is opting for less moderation and opening the door to more political content. According to CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the current moderation policy has become too complex and leads to frustration among users. Meta therefore wants to ‘go back to its roots’ and put freedom of expression at the centre. But.. the timing – just after Trump’s re-election – does raise some questions.
Not everyone is happy with this move. Many critics think that Community Notes, where users add context to posts themselves, simply does not work for sensitive topics. We have already seen this at X (formerly Twitter), where the system failed to curb disinformation. So, is this really a fight for freedom of expression, or is it just about more clicks and advertising revenue?
While Meta is relaxing the rules, the EU is doing just the opposite. With the Digital Services Act, the Union wants to oblige platforms to take tougher action against harmful and misleading content. Meta’s new approach, however, seems mainly a way to circumvent these regulations – with all the risks that entails.
At Dorst & Lesser, we believe that Meta, as one of the biggest players, has a huge social responsibility. But we as marketers also have influence. By consciously choosing where and how we advertise, we can contribute to a healthier online world. It is not only up to big tech to take responsibility – we too are determining the future of social media. So, how do we deal with this?