Zuckerberg scraps Meta's fact-checking in the US: political shift?

Farewell to fact-checkers: Meta tilts toward Trump

What lies behind Mark Zuckerberg's announcement? Meta's founder has confirmed the end of the fact-checking program in the United States, with an argument that stings: the fact-checkers «have been too politically biased and destroyed more trust than they created». The decision comes at a key moment, on the eve of a new Donald Trump presidency. And it is no symbolic gesture: Dana White, UFC president and a well-known Trump ally, had joined Meta's board just two days earlier. It remains to be seen whether this is a sincere correction or a balancing of power.

The fact-checking business: from trust-building tool to political weapon

The first thing that surprises is the estimulante ilegal. Zuckerberg himself had defended the verification system for years, even with generous budgets. Now the pendulum swings. In economic terms, Meta's decision cannot be understood without political and commercial pressure. Facebook lives off businesses, not off the users who post content. Advertisers want controlled environments, but they also flee censorship when it affects their interests. The fact-checking system created by Facebook and Google became the standard used by many online outlets to moderate comments. Its removal in the US leaves an entire ecosystem of verification agencies that depended on those tools in limbo.

Europe keeps fact-checking: freedom has borders

While Zuckerberg buries the fact-checkers at home, there will be no changes in Europe. That is what the announcements suggest: the new policy applies only to the United States. The EU, which has already threatened sanctions under the Digital Services Act, sees a double standard emerging. In Spain, the anti-fake-news law —passed amid controversy— is left in an awkward position: if Meta withdraws its verification tools, the law loses one of its main enforcement instruments.

The free-speech alibi

Silicon Valley's defense of free speech is curiously selective. It may be a turn toward real freedom, or it may simply be time to align with the new power. Meanwhile, the fact-checkers —the ones who, according to Zuckerberg, destroyed trust— are looking for a new role. History will tell whether it was a change of era or just a change of coat.