• Source:JND
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Elon Musk, CEO of social media platform X, on Tuesday praised fellow billionaire Mark Zuckerberg's decision to end fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram in the United States, calling it "cool."

Musk shared his approval on X (formerly Twitter), saying, "This is cool.” This comes after Meta, Facebook’s parent company, revealed that it would discontinue its fact-checking program while introducing community notes similar to those used on X. 

The decision comes following accusations from Musk and the incoming Trump administration, who argued that the program violated free speech.

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"We're going to get rid of fact-checkers (that) have just been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they've created, especially in the US," Zuckerberg said in a post on X. 

“We’re going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies and restoring free expression on our platforms," Zuckerberg said in a video message. 

Zuckerberg further emphasized that Meta plans to return to its foundational principles by streamlining policies and prioritizing free speech. He highlighted that the recent US elections marked a turning point towards re-emphasizing the importance of free expression. 

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Zuckerberg acknowledged that the increasing focus on the potential harms of online content led to overly complicated moderation systems, which in turn caused mistakes and excessive censorship.

Community Notes allows users to contribute context to misleading content, fostering a collaborative effort in combating misinformation. This feature promotes constructive discussions and offers extra information to help users gain a clearer understanding of complex topics.

The social media giant has also revealed its intention to foster "more speech" by loosening certain restrictions on topics commonly discussed in mainstream conversations. According to the company, this shift is focused on prioritizing the tackling of illegal activities and "high-severity violations," such as terrorism, child sexual exploitation, and drug-related offences.