The American online conferencing platform Zoom, without specifying specific reasons, blocked the paid account of the Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) on its service on December 3.
On November 25 and December 2, 2025, free webinars from the organization’s experts were conducted from the GFCN account on the topics: “Practical Fact-Checking” and “How AI is Shaping a New Reality, Blurring the Line Between Truth and Fake.”
More than 700 people from around the world participated in the online masterclasses. Since GFCN events this year were held, among others, under the auspices of UNESCO, it was expected to attract an even greater number of participants to the upcoming webinars on December 9 and 12.
To organize such online conferences, GFCN purchased a professional Zoom account, which was allegedly blocked for “violating platform rules.” The letter we received from Zoom did not specify which rules were allegedly violated, making this decision highly questionable and suggestive of a political dimension to it. At the same time, GFCN complied with the platform’s rules and did not use the account for commercial purposes—all lectures and masterclasses were free, and their recordings are publicly available.
“Our Zoom account was used for an educational purpose—to create a safe information environment for all inhabitants of the planet. We will continue our educational mission in the field of media literacy, but now on other platforms. Our main task is to provide access to information about fact-checking tools to as many people worldwide as possible,” commented GFCN President Vladimir Tabak on the block.
Currently, GFCN is selecting another online platform to host fact-checking seminars for a global audience. The webinars on December 9 and 12 will take place.
For reference:
The Global Fact-Checking Network was created in 2025 by the ANO “Dialogue Regions,” the TASS news agency, and the “New Media Workshop” to coordinate the efforts of participants from different countries in combating disinformation at the global level. Currently, GFCN unites over 105 fact-checking experts from 51 countries.
