Meta Platforms has introduced its in-house fact-checking program for its newest social network, Threads. A direct competitor to the likes of X (formerly Twitter), Threads now has its in-house solution to fight false information on its platform. The company has released the new functionality ahead of the upcoming US elections.
Threads relied on Instagram and Facebook’s network for fact-checking information so far
So far, the Threads social network has relied on Instagram and Facebook’s network for fact-checking information on its platform. The false information was rated according to what was fact-checked on Facebook and Instagram. Now, Instagram’s head Adam Mosseri has announced that Threads recently made it so that Meta’s third-party fact-checking tools could review & rate content on the platform.
Meta’s other social networks including Facebook and Instagram already had dedicated fact-checking tools for a long time. Now, the company has finally released the same functionality for its ever-growing Threads platform. Mosseri hasn’t shared any details about when exactly the new fact-checking program for Threads rolled out. Also, it’s unclear if the false information checking tool is available worldwide.
Threads has released the false information rating program before the upcoming US elections
Threads has received its own fact-checking ability right before the upcoming US Presidential elections. The new feature will help identify misinformation, fake news, and false conspiracies on the social network during elections. The brand already announced its intention to bring the fact-checking program to Threads in December last year. As of now, it is not clear which third-party organizations Meta has parted with to fact-check content on Threads.
It’s worth mentioning that while Threads has received its own information checker program, it still doesn’t have advanced search features yet. In order for the fact-checkers to identify false information, the social network needs to improve its search feature’s functionality. Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse, an independent social media fact-checker, responded to Mosseri’s post and said “I’m a fact checker but still can’t work here because your search option still doesn’t give a chronological result or allows to search for word combinations on desktop”.
That said, Threads is growing rapidly and has reached over 150 million active users. Meta has been constantly improving the user experience on the platform by adding new features from time to time. Most recently, the social network made it easier to see post view counts. More features for the platform are in the works and will be released over the course of time.