Meta is enhancing user experience by integrating WhatsApp into its Accounts Center, allowing users to share status updates across Instagram and Facebook. This global rollout will occur over the next few months and includes a 'Single Sign-On' feature for easier access to multiple apps using Facebook account credentials.
Users can choose to link their WhatsApp accounts, which will enable Meta to use WhatsApp information for product personalization and targeted ads. However, Meta assures that WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption will remain intact, and personal data will not be accessed by other apps in its ecosystem unless necessary for safety or optional features.
Additionally, Meta plans to enhance the Accounts Center with features like AI stickers and AI-generated avatars through its Imagine Me feature, reinforcing its commitment to user interaction.
In a separate move, Meta is shifting its content moderation strategy from fact-checking organizations to a community notes system, allowing users to flag misleading posts. This change, announced by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, aims to enhance free speech across its platforms, which serve over 3 billion users.
Zuckerberg criticized traditional fact-checking for bias, asserting that community notes will democratize misinformation identification. However, experts warn this approach may increase misleading content, as seen in past research on similar systems.
The community notes rollout will begin in the U.S. and expand to Europe and Latin America in the coming months.