Executive Summary

The controversial discontinuance of independent fact-checking by major social media platforms, starting with X and recently followed by Meta, showcases a significant change in strategies for online content moderation. The platforms justify the shift as a promotion of free speech, aligned with the discourse of president elect Donald Trump. Critics argue that such changes facilitate the spread of hate speech, influence campaigns, misinformation, and state-sponsored propaganda. The change has implications for state actors’ cyber influence strategies, the resurgence of marginalized groups, and recruitment tactics of armed groups and non-state-actors. It coincides with the demise of US government-backed disinformation tracking programs, such as the Department of State’s Global Engagement Center and Stanford’s Internet Observatory.