Meta is piloting Community Notes in 16 Spanish-speaking Latin American countries, allowing users to submit contextual notes that remain invisible during the trial. LatamChequea (47 regional initiatives) and the International Fact-Checking Network warn that Community Notes alone should not replace accredited fact-checking, especially amid rising AI-driven disinformation. AFP participates in Meta’s verification efforts and verifies content in 26 languages. Brazil, the region’s largest Meta market, was excluded from the pilot.
Latin American Fact-Checkers Urge Meta Not To Replace Verification With Community Notes
Meta is following in X's footsteps by replacing verified fact-checking with crowdsourced notes (SEBASTIEN BOZON)
Meta has begun piloting its Community Notes crowdsourcing system across 16 Spanish-speaking Latin American countries, prompting concerns from regional and global fact-checking groups that the move could weaken independent verification of online content.
What Meta Is Testing
Users of Facebook, Instagram and Threads in 16 Spanish-speaking countries can now sign up to submit contextual notes on posts. Under the pilot, those notes remain invisible to other users while Meta evaluates the system.
Concerns From Fact-Checkers
LatamChequea, a regional network of 47 verification initiatives, urged Meta to reverse course and keep accredited fact-checking stakeholders in the loop. The group warned that:
"Community Notes are not enough in contexts of high disinformation," and called on Meta "to complement, not replace, independent verification."
The International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), the global body of which AFP is a signatory, echoed those concerns. Angie Drobnic Holan, IFCN director, said:
"The Community Notes program alone is simply not adequate when it comes to reducing the impact of harmful falsehoods on social media platforms."
Context And Risks
Fact-checkers argue that crowdsourced notes cannot fully replicate the resources, expertise and accountability offered by accredited newsrooms and independent verification bodies—especially as platforms face a surge in content created or manipulated with artificial intelligence.
Meta previously ended formal fact-checking partnerships in the United States and has been shifting toward Community Notes as part of its platform moderation strategy. The company has not set a date for a full rollout, saying it will expand the feature only once it is confident the product performs as intended.
Who Is Included (And Who Is Not)
Meta named the 16 Spanish-speaking countries in the pilot: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. Notably, Portuguese-speaking Brazil—the region’s largest market for Meta’s platforms—was excluded from this trial.
Local And Global Relevance
AFP participates in Meta's verification efforts in Latin America and other regions and verifies content in 26 languages. Regional fact-checking bodies caution that replacing accredited verification with crowdsourced notes could leave platforms less prepared to combat coordinated disinformation and rapidly spreading AI-manipulated content.
Bottom line: While Community Notes may add a layer of context, fact-checking organizations say they should complement—not replace—independent verification to effectively limit the spread of harmful falsehoods.
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