Issue One criticizes Meta’s decision to end its fact-checking program

In response to the news that Meta would end its third-party fact-checking program and rely solely on users to add notes or corrections to posts with false or misleading information, Issue One Founder and CEO Nick Penniman issued the following statement:

“Meta’s decision to eliminate fact checkers is going to further degrade our information environment and allow an already unregulated tech industry to continue operating without accountability or guardrails. Thanks to Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, social media platforms like Facebook are largely immune from liability for content posted by users. These are the largest and most powerful companies on Earth, yet they continue to play by a different set of rules than other traditional media companies. That’s precisely why leaders in Congress must work together to end Big Tech’s ‘Wild West’ era. Any updates to Section 230 must be grounded in our country’s proud tradition of safeguarding free expression, but it’s time we require these platforms to abide by the same product liability and libel laws that all other media outlets follow.”

Issue One Vice President of Technology Reform Alix Fraser also added:

“Americans deserve to have an online information environment that enhances our democracy, rather than one that will continuously undermine it. The move to end third-party fact-checking by Mark Zuckerberg and Meta will make the electorate less informed and more likely to fall prey to   sensationalized narratives. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has admitted that there will be more ‘bad stuff’ on Facebook and Instagram because of this decision, but he is perfectly willing to do this as long as he can curry favor with powerful politicians and protect Meta’s bottom line. Once again, we see Big Tech putting profits ahead of the American people and leaving our democracy more vulnerable to foreign adversaries and other bad actors. This is why Congress must act and pass commonsense legislation to hold Meta and other social media companies accountable.”