Community Notes

Community Notes is X's crowdsourced fact-checking feature that lets approved contributors attach corrective context to potentially misleading posts, publishing a note only when raters from differing viewpoints agree it is helpful.

The mechanism is what makes Community Notes unusual. A proposed note does not go public just because it gets upvotes. X uses a bridging algorithm that looks for agreement across people who have historically rated things differently, so a note only appears when contributors who usually disagree both find it helpful. The intent is to make one-sided or partisan notes fail to publish, leaving mostly the context a broad range of readers accepts.

When a note is published, it shows beneath the post with a source link, and it can appear on anyone's content including large accounts and advertisers. Notes are slow by design, since the cross-viewpoint agreement takes time to form, so a fast-spreading false claim may travel widely before a note attaches. The system supplements rather than replaces other moderation, and its coverage depends on contributors choosing to write about a given post.

For anyone posting, the practical takeaway is simple: a note is a public correction on your own post, and it sticks. Claims that are easy to check and easy to get wrong are the ones that draw notes. Sourcing a number or softening an overstated claim before you post is cheaper than being annotated after it spreads.

Frequently asked questions

how does community notes decide what to show

Community Notes uses a bridging algorithm that publishes a note only when contributors who have historically rated posts differently both mark it helpful. Raw upvotes are not enough; the system looks for agreement across viewpoints, which is meant to filter out one-sided or partisan notes. Because that cross-viewpoint consensus takes time to form, notes tend to appear slowly rather than the moment a claim spreads.

can anyone get a community note on their post

Yes. Community Notes can attach to any post that contributors flag as potentially misleading, including large accounts, public figures, and advertisers. Being verified or having a big following does not exempt you. The note appears beneath the post with a source link and stays there, so the practical defense is to source checkable claims and avoid overstatements before posting rather than after.

who writes community notes on x

Approved contributors write them. X admits users to the Community Notes program, and they can propose notes on posts and rate notes others have proposed. A proposed note stays hidden until it earns cross-viewpoint agreement from raters, so most drafts never publish. The pool is broad rather than an appointed panel, which is the point: the context comes from users, not from X staff.
Put it into practice

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