Threads, Meta’s Twitter-like service and competitor to X, may be steering clear of politics, but that doesn’t mean it won’t try to tackle misinformation spreading on social media — especially in the run-up to national elections. NEXT user References of fact checks found on the network, the company confirmed that it has worked with data-checking organizations to address false information circulating on Threads, but has not yet fully implemented direct data-checking of Threads content.
Meta had announced in December that at the beginning of 2024 it is audit partners could check and rate fake content right in the threads. Meanwhile, Meta was only able to match existing data controls with “nearly identical content in Threads,” it said. From the looks of user reports of fact-checking now appearing in Threads, this is a case in point it matched ratings, not the more expected direct data check of the Threads content people see.
The company has confirmed that this has happened, telling TechCrunch that it has not yet finalized the ability for fact-checkers to rate content directly in Threads, but will do so soon.
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Thread users had noticed warning tags appearing on posts — in one case, both as an interstitial ad in a fake AI-generated video and as a pop-up that appeared from the bottom of the screen.
The warning message reads “False information,” followed by an explanation that “the same false information was reviewed in another thread by fact-checkers. There may be slight differences.” It then also noted that “independent fact-checkers say this information has not no basis in fact” and documents which fact-checking sources reached this conclusion.
Below this, users can read the name of the data control organizations and the conclusion of the sources — e.g. “False” — along with additional information about the content and why it is false.
Image Credits: Thread screenshot
An example of this data control might be are featured here in Threads. It refers to a video circulating in Telegram chats, which it claims is from a France 24 show. However, the video was never broadcast, or even filmed – it was created by artificial intelligence, data control organizations both condition.
In our tests, the event checker initially hid the Threads post with the video, but offered a Show Post button to click and view. You could optionally press “See Why” if you want to know why it hides for false information. However, the feature seems a bit underdeveloped, as links to data-checking sites only worked on mobile, not desktop, and the informational warning below the video, once viewed, was in small text that you could easily miss.
Image Credits: Thread screenshot
Although full event auditing capabilities have not yet been rolled out to Threads, when they do, the feature will differentiate Threads from its X competitor, where event auditing is now largely crowdsourced. With X’s Community Notes (originally called Birdwatch when the company was known as Twitter), independent volunteers fact-check posts and add additional context or corrections. The system’s algorithm then attempts to find a consensus among people who don’t usually share the same opinions. If both parties agree that fact-checking is required, the Community Note appears. Meanwhile, Team X cannot edit or modify the notes explains the company’s website. Instead, X only takes action on posts that violate its rules, terms, or privacy policy.
Elon Musk has defended the use of Community Notes since acquiring the company in 2022, having believe that the former Twitter team was guilty of left-wing bias and censorship. However, a ProPublica report found that Community Notes has not yet scaled up enough to deal with the misinformation circulating on X about the Israel-Hamas war. Additionally, the dropped claims were often spread by verified accounts with blue checks, giving them more visibility, he said.
Meta clearly takes a more cautious approach to news and the potential for misinformation.
Instagram chief Adam Mosseri said last year that Threads would not “enhance news” on its platform, upsetting journalists and news consumers who were looking for an alternative to Twitter. The company also made good on those promises last week when it announced it would no longer proactively display political content in its recommendations on both Threads and Instagram. However, news and politics may still appear in the app’s new trending feature, “Today’s Topics.”
