Meta Platforms Is Ending Its Fact-Checking Program. That Could Be Risky for the Stock

Last week, Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) said that it is shutting down the third-party fact-checking programs on its social media platforms. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg says that those platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, are designed so that, "people can express themselves freely," and asserts that this decision will help facilitate that.It's an interesting move, not just due to its timing -- right before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration -- but also because the volume of misinformation spreading on social media has only been growing over the years. For Meta Platforms, the decision to retreat from its attempts to stem that rising tide may not pay off for the business, and it could spell bad news for the stock.Zuckerberg says that in the absence of a third-party fact-checking program, users will be able to effectively regulate the platform themselves using a "community notes" system. If you use X (formerly known as Twitter), you may sometimes see notes that dispute a post's assertions, add context, or provide more information.Continue readingWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei MotleyFool Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei MotleyFool