Social media giant Meta’s decision to move away from fact-checking and ease content restrictions on its platforms like Facebook and Instagram could make it easier to interfere in Canada’s next federal election and the Liberal leadership race to succeed Justin Trudeau, say experts.
While Meta says replacing third-party fact-checking with “community notes” will roll out first in the United States in the coming months, it says its easing of restrictions on incendiary topics will take effect globally.
Experts say the changes could better allow online misinformation and foreign interference to cross the border into Canada.
“With a leadership election looming for the Liberals and a federal election on the horizon, this news could not come at a worse time for Canada,” said Philip Mai, co-director of the Social Media Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University.
“[It] sends users a clear and troubling message: You are on your own.… Without trained moderators to enforce rules or combat harmful content, Facebook and IG will become an even …