New Member of Congress, former Meta employee, Questions Meta’s Decision to Roll Back Fact-Checking Program

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Pablo José Hernández, Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico, sent a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg questioning the company’s decision to roll back its fact-checking program.

As a former Meta public policy manager who helped defend the fact-checking program during his tenure, Congressman Hernández expressed deep concerns about the move's implications for public discourse and safety.

“As a former Metamate who helped defend this program and understands the challenges and nuances of regulating speech on social media, I have serious concerns about this decision’s impact on public discourse and safety,” wrote Hernández.

In his letter, Congressman Hernández referenced Zuckerberg’s previous statements about the program’s effectiveness, noting that the CEO had once said, “People find value in the warning screens we apply to content after a fact-checking partner has rated it.” Back then, Meta boasted that surveys said “that 74% of people thought they saw the right amount or were open to seeing more false information labels, with 63% of people thinking they were applied fairly.” The Congressman is requesting a detailed explanation of the rationale behind the decision, given these prior endorsements.

Hernández also raised specific concerns about whether Meta’s Community Notes feature would enable users to fact-check politicians, a departure from Meta’s previous policy. (X’s community notes program has put labels on politicians’ and government officials’ posts.) Additionally, he questioned how the company plans to mitigate the spread of Spanish-language disinformation, which remains a significant issue, particularly in the context of immigration.

Prior to serving in Congress, Hernández worked as a public policy manager at Meta’s Global Policy Team in Washington, D.C., from 2019–2023.

The full text of Congressman Hernández’s letter is available HERE.

###