Why Meta may delay Community Notes rollout in India and other countries outside US | Technology News

3 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Mar 26, 2026 04:40 PM Meta should delay the rollout of its Community Notes feature in countries outside the United States, its own advisory board said on Thursday, March 26, citing concerns over language complexity, internet shutdowns, and the presence of large-scale disinformation networks.
The Meta Oversight Board, a semi-independent body that reviews the company’s content takedown decisions and suggests policy improvements, also warned that expanding Community Notes to countries with repressive governments or facing ongoing conflict could pose serious human rights risks and lead to real-world harm.
In addition, Meta should not introduce Community Notes in countries approaching major elections, especially where there are risks to the integrity of political institutions, the Board said. These recommendations the Oversight Board are meant to serve as criteria for when Meta should withhold or delay launching Community Notes in a particular country.
The Board’s proposed framework comes more than a year after Meta announced that it will eliminate fact-checks posted third-party fact-checkers in the US, replacing them with a Community Notes system similar to that of Elon Musk-owned X. At the time, Meta said it planned to expand Community Notes to other countries, raising concerns among its fact-checking partners in India that count on revenue from Meta as a key source of survival.
Oversight Board member Sudhir Krishnaswamy, who is also the Vice Chancellor at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), said that Meta should avoid a one-size-fits-all approach to a global rollout of Community Notes.
“In India, linguic diversity and multidimensional social and political polarisation calls for a Community Notes model that ensures adequate user participation across diverse languages and verifiable mitigation strategies to address complex non-binary social and political divisions,” Krishnaswamy told The Indian Express.
India is one of the largest markets for Meta’s platforms such as Instagram and WhatsApp, which recorded more than 500 million monthly active users last year. “Going the led criteria, it would appear that India would qualify as among the countries where Community Notes should not be introduced,” Karen Rebelo, a former fact-checker and independent journal, said.Story continues below this ad
Although the criteria were developed the Oversight Board at Meta’s own request, the Facebook and Instagram parent is not obligated to adopt them unlike the Board’s content moderation rulings which are binding. However, Meta is required to publicly respond to each of the Board’s recommendations within 30 days, as per its website. To be sure, the Oversight Board is funded Meta but claims to operate independently.
These recommendations could also serve as a framework for other platforms considering crowdsourced approaches like Community Notes. “As Meta, X, YouTube, TikTok and other platforms increasingly adopt crowdsourced approaches to address potentially misleading content, they have a responsibility to undertake comprehensive human rights due diligence with robust strategies to prevent potential harms in different contexts,” said Paolo Carozza, the Oversight Board’s co-chair.
“There must be ongoing data gathering, substantial transparency and access to data for researchers so that the performance of these programs can be fully assessed,” Carozza added.
Expand

Karan Mahadik is a Tech Correspondent for The Indian Express based in Delhi-NCR, specialising in the intersection of technology and public policy. With a focus on how digital infrastructure shapes governance and society, he is a key voice in the publication’s coverage of the rapidly evolving tech regulation landscape.

Experience & Career
Karan brings a robust background in digital journalism to his role at The Indian Express. Before joining the organisation, he honed his skills at MediaNama and The Quint.

Expertise & Focus Areas
Karan’s reporting moves beyond product cycles to investigate the broader implications of technology. His work is defined :

Tech Policy & Regulation: In-depth coverage of legal frameworks, government directives, and internet governance.

Artificial Intelligence: His work is dedicated to demystifying AI developments and their impact on industries and individuals.

Privacy & Security: Reporting on digital rights, data protection (DPDP rules), and platform accountability.

Complex Analysis: Known for his ability to translate dense policy documents and technical shifts into clear, accessible narratives for a general audience.

Authoritativeness & Trust
Karan is recognised for his rigorous approach to sourcing and his commitment to digital privacy, evidenced his accessibility via secure channels like Signal (Username: karanhm.24). His work is frequently cited for its detailed examination of regulatory overreach and corporate accountability. anchoring his reporting in verified data and expert commentary, he provides readers with a reliable compass for navigating the “wild west” of modern technology.
Find all stories Karan Mahadik here … Read More

  © IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd