Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s decision to end fact-checking in the US has drawn a mixture of applause and criticism. Free speech supporters praised Zuckerberg for allowing free rein except for issues such as terrorism and child sexual abuse on his social media platforms. Supporters of fact-checking condemned him for allowing a free-for-all on his platforms. The expression “free rein” means being able to do or say whatever you want. A free-for-all refers to a debate, fight, or an argument where everyone can join with no rules. Zuckerberg is the CEO of Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp.
He has ended fact-checking on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, replacing it with users adding notes on whether something is factual or not. Twitter, now known as X, has already replaced fact-checking with community notes. Supporters of fact-checking have warned that ending it would lead to a flood of misinformation and disinformation. Many people think these two words have the same meaning, but they are very different. Misinformation is the unintentional spread of false information. It is misinformation if your friend forwards you something by WhatsApp without knowing it is inaccurate, and you then forward it to your other WhatsApp contacts.
Disinformation is false information which is intentionally spread to mislead people by deliberately confusing fact and fiction. As a journalist, I always fact-check what I write in my columns. I also fact-checked what I said during my time as a TV host. I don’t use social media platforms except for Signal and WhatsApp, but I hope ending fact-checking on Meta and X platforms will not lead to free-for-all disinformation.
臉書創辦人馬克‧朱克伯格決定結束在美國的事實查核，惹來毁譽參半的評價。言論自由的支持者稱讚朱克伯格，容許他的社交媒體平台除了恐怖主義跟兒童性虐待等議題外，基本上都是暢所欲言（free rein）。事實查核的支持者則是譴責他容許他平台上的人為所欲為（free-for-all）。習語”free rein”是指可以完全自由、無約束地做或說任何你想的事情；a free-for-all則是人人都可自由參加的辯論、激戰或爭吵，不受限制亦毫無規則。朱克伯格是Meta元宇宙行政總裁，就是坐擁臉書、Instagram、Threads和WhatsApp的公司。
他結束了在臉書、Instagram和Threads上的事實查核，取以代之是由用家附加備註，指出某帖文符合事實與否。現在稱為X的推特，亦已經以「社群筆記」取代事實查核。支持事實查核的人警告指，終止它會帶來海量的 misinformation和disinformation。許多人以為這兩個字的意思一樣，但其實它們的意思分別可大了：misinformation是指在無意間發布錯誤信息。若果你的朋友在不知道某資訊並不準確的情況下，用WhatsApp轉發給你，而你又轉發給你其他的WhatsApp聯絡人，那就是 misinformation。
Disinformation則是刻意傳播虛假信息，固意誤導他人混淆事實與杜撰的事。身為新聞工作者，我總是會事實查核我在專欄中所寫的。我以往當電視主持的時候，同樣會就自己所說的做事實查核。除了Signal和WhatsApp，其他社交媒體平台我都沒有用，但我仍希望Meta和X平台結束事實查核，不會放任（free-for-all）惡意虛假信息（disinformation）的傳播吧。
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Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻
