Last week, Meta decided to replace its professional fact-checking program with X-style “Community Notes” and it appears that a version of the feature is already being tested on Threads. Alessandro Paluzzi, a developer who frequently posts leaked information about Meta apps, shared three screenshots which show a first look at what community notes could look like in Threads.
In a statement, a Meta spokesperson described the screenshots as an “internal prototype” and said the feature was not being tested outside the company.
Paluzzi’s images show a new “Write a Community Note” option in the menu you can access in the corner of a Threads post. If you select it, it looks like you’ll be able to submit your note anonymously, and if it’s deemed useful, it will appear below the post. The whole setup is no different from how X uses Community Notes, which started as a feature called “Birdwatch” on Twitter before Elon Musk acquired and renamed the company.
Community Ratings are just one way Threads is evolving under Meta’s new moderation approach. The application, which opposed the sharing and promotion of “political” content, will now also offer political publications. Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram and Threads, showed how to adjust the amount of political content you see in your feed in a short video shared on Threads today. Meta offers users three options: “See Less,” which attempts to eliminate political content, “Standard,” which suggests political content, and “See More,” which treats political content like everything else in the app.
It’s not clear whether the community notes or buttons for political content address real problems users are having with Threads, or whether they will make anyone happier. They do, however, fit the “free speech warrior” image that Meta is trying to project.
Updated January 14, 2025, 12:26 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to add more information from a Meta spokesperson.
