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Meta’s Fact-Checking Initiative: Users Spot Warning Labels Popping Up in Threads —
Threads, Meta’s microblogging service that competes with X, appears to be shifting away from political conversation and actively battling the spread of false information, especially surrounding the 2024 elections.
The social media behemoth confirmed working with fact-checking organizations to combat the spread of misleading material on the platform in response to recent user complaints regarding fact-checking actions seen on Threads. However, the actual integration of fact-checking into Threads is still a work in progress.
By early 2024, Meta had planned to have its fact-checking partners assess and rank deceptive content on Threads directly. Currently, Meta can only connect fact-checks to related content on Threads. According to recent user reports, Threads shows matched scores for false material instead of doing direct fact-checking as it waits for the planned fact-checking capability to roll out fully.
While acknowledging this transitional stage, Meta told TechCrunch that direct rating for fact-checkers on Threads is still in the works but will be available soon.
Users of Threads have noticed warning flags attached to posts, including an interstitial overlaying false AI-generated videos and a pop-up message at the bottom of the screen. The…
