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The Tech Alliance: Meta’s Adoption of Musk’s Community Notes
In a dramatic turnaround from their earlier rivalry, tech magnates Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk have shifted their focus from a potential cage match to collaborating in the realm of technology. Following Musk’s unsuccessful attempt to engage Zuckerberg in a fight in 2023, Zuckerberg recently announced Meta’s latest initiative, Community Notes, which will incorporate features inspired by Musk’s platform, X.
On Thursday, Meta disclosed its plans to implement technology akin to what Musk’s X has been using for its content moderation system. The Community Notes feature will enable users on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads to provide feedback on posts, including explanations and citations to bolster their comments.
This new system requires that Community Notes be concise, limited to 500 characters and must include a relevant supporting link. X had previously launched its version of Community Notes after Musk acquired the platform in 2022, and it has proven to be an effective mechanism for crowd-sourced fact-checking.
Meta is opting to utilize X’s open-source algorithm as the foundation for its Community Notes tool, which is set to enter testing in the United States on March 18. This process reflects a broader trend of tech companies adopting open-source methodologies to enhance their platforms.
In its blog announcement, Meta highlighted the benefits of leveraging X’s open-source system: “As X’s algorithm and program information is open source – meaning free and available for anyone to use – we can build on what X has done, learn from the researchers who have studied it, and improve the system for our own platforms,” the company articulated. The eventual goal is also to explore various algorithms that might further refine how Community Notes are assessed and prioritized.
The initiative follows Meta’s decision in January to discontinue its eight-year independent fact-checking program, which had relied on expert organizations like The Associated Press, opting instead for a more collective approach where users contribute their insights and context to posts.
Since the announcement, around 200,000 users have expressed interest in contributing to the Community Notes system across Meta’s platforms. Eventually, the initiative will allow contributors to add notes to a variety of posts, including those from public figures and personal contacts, all done anonymously and excluding advertisements from the scope of the notes.
Meta’s adaptation of the Community Notes concept aligns with findings from the University of California, San Diego, which indicated that X’s implementation was generally successful, as studies showed that the Community Notes produced were often accurate and referenced reputable sources.
Interestingly, the exchange of ideas between the two billionaires may extend in both directions. Elon Musk has shown interest in utilizing open-source technologies from Meta. In April 2024, Meta launched Llama 3, its latest AI model, which is accessible for public use. Musk reviewed the model positively on his platform, labeling it “not bad.”
As both Zuckerberg and Musk continue to exert significant influence in the tech landscape—ranking among the top three wealthiest individuals globally, with respective fortunes of $319 billion and $219 billion—their evolving relationship may signal new opportunities for innovation within the tech industry.
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