Mark Zuckerberg‘s announcement that Meta will end its third party fact checking programme is the latest threat to the integrity of online data. We live in a world where misinformation can spread quickly, and where bots and targeted posts can be used to push false stories. The harm is greater when large parts of society now obtain their news solely from social media and chat groups, and when algorithms push “stories for you” to specific user groups entrenching beliefs, and polarising positions. This is the same no matter which side of a debate you are on.

Meta says it has programmes in place to spot misinformation, and it will rely on its own community to moderate content, but the potential for misuse is huge, and the need to guard against misinformation is greater than ever. If we are being generous perhaps Zuckerberg felt like King Canute, unable to stem the tide of misinformation flooding the beach.

This latest development highlights the need for a comprehensive strategy to deal with misinformation on social media. This can include calling out false claims, enforcing social media terms of use, which prevents the posting of harmful and unlawful content, or taking action through the courts.

All of this is turbo charged by AI which harnesses its data from the net, so misinformation can not be left unchecked. Apple has faced calls to withdraw its AI feature that has been pushing out inaccurate summaries of BBC content to its latest AI enabled iPhones.

There is of course an old fashioned technology that is fact checked, and that is held accountable through editorial and legal processes. It is found with traditional newspapers and broadcasters. If we can respect proper journalism with accuracy at its core it will benefit us all.