Impact of Facebook and X: Shifting to user-driven moderation on Ghana’s fight against misinformation

In Ghana, misinformation and disinformation have become persistent threats. Social media platforms, especially Facebook and X, are leading sources of false information. During Ghana’s most recent general elections, the Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition revealed that over 85% of false information was spread through social media, with X being the most common platform for disinformation campaigns.

These falsehoods are not limited to politics. From fake health advice to bogus job offers, misinformation affects all aspects of Ghanaian life, eroding trust in institutions and often leading to real-world consequences like public panic or financial scams.

Why Losing Professional Fact-Checkers Matters

The decision by Meta and X to move away from professional fact-checking is particularly troubling for Ghana for several reasons:

• Rapid spread: social media allows misinformation to go viral within minutes. By the time users flag content through community moderation, the damage is often already done.
• Limited user expertise: While digital tools are widespread, many Ghanaians lack the skills to identify fake news. Without professional fact-checkers, they are left vulnerable to false narratives.
• Lack of contextual nuance: The community-driven note systems do not always consider local nuances. For example, a post that seems harmless to an international audience might have serious implications in Ghana’s political or cultural context.
• Strained resources: Local fact-checking organizations like Penplusbytes and the Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition are doing incredible work but they often operate with limited resources. Without support from global tech platforms, their efforts are stretched thin.

What Ghana Can Do to Counter This Shift: Tackling Misinformation Without Professional Fact-Checkers

The decision by Meta (Facebook) and X (Twitter) to drop professional fact-checking leaves a significant gap in Ghana’s fight against misinformation. However, the country can adopt several proactive strategies to mitigate the effects of this shift.

1. Strengthen Local Fact-Checking Groups

Ghana boasts dedicated organizations like Penplusbytes, Dubawa, Fact-Check Ghana, and GhanaFact, who are already leading efforts to verify and debunk misinformation. However, these groups often face resource constraints.

What can be done?

• Secure long-term, sustainable funding from government and private sectors, allowing these organizations to expand their reach and impact.
• Provide access to advanced fact-checking tools, such as artificial intelligence systems that can scan and flag potential misinformation in real-time. This will allow them to be more proactive in their response.
• Collaborate with universities to integrate fact-checking into academic curricula, training the next generation of fact-checkers and researchers.

For example, during Ghana’s 2020 and 2024 elections, Penplusbytes and the Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition actively monitored social media to identify and correct fake news about election results and candidates. With more funding and tools, their work could reach rural areas where misinformation is just as rampant but harder to counter.

2. Promote Digital and Media Literacy

A key factor in the spread of misinformation is the public’s lack of the skill to critically assess online information. Empowering citizens to think critically about what they consume online can significantly inoculate them against and reduce the impact of false narratives.

What can be done:

• Introduce and integrate media literacy programmes in schools’ curricula to teach young people how to analyze online content critically.
• Launch engaging nationwide public awareness campaigns using radio, TV, and social media to educate the public about spotting fake news.
• Build the capacity of influential community leaders, such as chiefs, religious figures, and teachers to become champions of media literacy within their communities.

Since 2019, Penplusbytes has conducted a series of training workshops across Ghana for young people, journalists and bloggers on detecting and countering fake news. This initiative could be scaled to include teachers and other educators, creating a ripple effect across communities.

3. Engage Social Media Platforms

While Facebook and X have removed professional fact-checkers, they still have the power to assist Ghana in combating misinformation. The government, civil society groups, and local organizations can push for better collaboration.

What can be done:

• Advocate for context-specific moderation: Advocate for region-specific moderation policies that consider Ghana’s unique cultural, political, and social contexts. This ensures that content moderation decisions are not made in a vacuum but reflect the realities on the ground.
• Demand data transparency: Request that platforms provide analytics tools and real-time data to local fact-checkers, enabling them to track the spread of false information more effectively and respond swiftly.
• Push for local expertise in content moderation: Advocate for the inclusion of local experts familiar with Ghanaian languages, cultural nuances, and political realities in platform content moderation teams. This ensures that moderation decisions are informed by local knowledge and perspectives.

For instance, during the COVID-19 pandemic, GhanaFact worked with international organizations to combat health-related misinformation. By collaborating with Facebook and X, Ghanaian fact-checkers can have access to real-time data on viral posts, enabling them to act faster.

4. Leverage AI and Technology

Artificial intelligence and machine learning tools can play a critical role in combating misinformation, especially given the scale at which false content spreads online.

What can be done:

• Develop or adopt AI tools that scan for keywords, images, or videos that are likely to contain misinformation.
• Use AI to cross-check viral claims against verified databases to flag false information quickly.
• Partner with global tech companies to implement local adaptations of their AI moderation tools.

 Penplusbytes’ Disinformation Detection Platform (DDP), an innovative tool to combat disinformation serves as an excellent example of how AI can be leveraged to combat misinformation in Ghana. This DDP utilizes AI to analyze online conversations and identify emerging trends in misinformation. The innovative platform deployed during Ghana 2024 elections, offered a more comprehensive approach to combating election-related disinformation by monitoring, analysing, and verifying content across multiple social media platforms and traditional media outlets in real-time. This proactive approach allows fact-checkers to address misinformation swiftly and effectively, minimizing its impact on public discourse.

A localized version of Google’s Fact Check Explorer, combined with the insights and capabilities of platforms like Penplusbytes’ DDP, could create a powerful ecosystem for combating misinformation in Ghana. This would empower citizens with the tools and resources they need to critically evaluate information, fostering a more informed and discerning public.

5. Encourage Responsible Journalism

Misinformation is not solely a social media phenomenon. It can also spread through traditional media outlets. Fostering responsible journalism is crucial in ensuring the accuracy of information reaching the public.

What Can Be Done:

• Work with media houses to establish clear editorial standards for verifying stories before publishing.
• Offer incentives for journalists who produce investigative pieces debunking fake news.
• Collaborate with journalism schools to train future reporters in fact-checking and ethical reporting.

For example, ahead of the 2024 elections, the Media Foundation for West Africa partnered with local journalists to counter election-related misinformation through accurate reporting and in-depth fact-checking. Similar initiatives could extend beyond elections to issues like public health and governance.

6. Focus on Rural Communities

While misinformation spreads rapidly in urban centers, rural areas are equally vulnerable due to lower levels of digital literacy and limited access to fact-checking resources.

What can be done:

• Leverage the reach of community radio, a primary source of news in rural areas, to broadcast fact-checking programs and disseminate accurate information.
• Train local opinion leaders, such as chiefs, assembly members, and religious figures, to become trusted sources of accurate information within their communities.
• Create simple, user friendly and accessible tools, such as SMS-based fact-checking services, that enable rural residents to easily verify information.

For example, during the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, civic tech organisations like Penplusbytes effectively used community radio programmes to address vaccine hesitancy and dispel misinformation. Expanding such initiatives can help counter misinformation across various topics.

7. Build Regional Alliances

Misinformation often transcends borders, particularly within West Africa, where shared languages and cultures facilitate its rapid spread.

What Can Be Done:

• Establish a West African fact-checking coalition to share resources and strategies.
• Collaborate on cross-border campaigns to debunk regional misinformation, such as fake health advice or fraudulent financial schemes.
• Pool funding for technological tools that can be used across multiple countries.

For instance, the African Fact-Checking Alliance (AFCA) has already shown the power of collaboration in tackling regional misinformation. Ghanaian organizations can take a more active role in such initiatives to amplify their impact.

The Way Forward