What happens when fact-checkers disappear from the internet?

Meta scrapped its third-party fact-checking program. Google quietly removed its fact-checking features. What does this mean for misinformation, disinformation, and online safety?

In this episode, journalist Nica Rhiana Hanopol speaks with Clara Jiménez Cruz, chair of the European Fact-Checking Standards Network and co-founder of Spain's Maldita.es, about the seismic changes happening in the fact-checking world. Clara reveals how Mark Zuckerberg's sudden announcement caught the global fact-checking community off guard, putting organizations worldwide at both reputational and physical risk.

Teka Teka explores why tech companies are abandoning these safety measures—from political pressures to the AI race reshaping Silicon Valley priorities. Clara shares surprising data about Community Notes (spoiler: fact-checkers are still the most trusted source), discusses how her organization is adapting to survive, and explains why this shift affects everything from election integrity to everyday decisions like choosing toothpaste.

These changes extend beyond politics – it's about scams, health misinformation, and the future of truth online. As Clara puts it, “The internet is being made more dangerous on purpose.”

This episode is engineered by Anthony Tobias. Jaemark Tordecilla is our editor-at-large.

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