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Brazilian authorities have imposed a deadline on Meta to clarify its recent policy changes after the company announced the end of its fact-checking program in the US and loosening restrictions on other speech.
Some shit you should know before you read: Last week, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg made headlines after announcing significant changes to the company’s policies and leadership structure, signaling a shift in its operational priorities. Zuckerberg revealed that Meta would end its third-party fact-checking program, describing it as a tool that had devolved into censorship and announcing plans to “get back to their roots” by prioritizing free expression on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. This includes allowing more speech, particularly on sensitive topics such as immigration and gender. He also said the company would role out a new “community notes” system for user-generated fact-checking and context. Additionally, Zuckerberg appointed three high-profile figures, including UFC President Dana White, to the company’s board.
What’s going on now: In response to Meta’s new policy changes, the Brazilian government expressed strong opposition, citing potential violations of the country’s stringent laws on hate speech, “misinformation,” and the protection of “fundamental rights.” The Attorney General’s Office (AGU) issued an extrajudicial notice giving Meta 72 hours to clarify its policies for Brazil, particularly how the company plans to address concerns around disinformation, racism, homophobia, and gender-based violence. Attorney General Jorge Messias warned of potential “legal and judicial measures” if Meta fails to respond, adding, “We will not allow, under any circumstances, these networks to transform the environment into a digital massacre or barbarity.” The AGU also highlighted that META’s changes, as currently described, “are not in line with Brazilian legislation and are not sufficient to protect the fundamental rights of citizens.”
Brazil’s president echoed these concerns, with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva noting that “freedom of expression does not mean freedom to spread lies, prejudices, and insults.” Following a government meeting on the implications of META’s changes, Lula said that all companies operating in Brazil must “respect Brazilian legislation and jurisdiction.”
Brazil’s Supreme Court also weighed in, with Judge Alexandre de Moraes maintaining that social media firms must comply with domestic laws to continue operations in the country, warning that platforms “will not become a lawless land.”
This all comes against the backdrop of Brazil’s previous clash with Elon Musk and his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) over content moderation. Last year, Brazil’s Supreme Court temporarily suspended X after the platform failed to comply with court orders to take action against disinformation and hate speech. The court demanded X remove false claims related to Brazil’s election and other harmful content, but Musk refused, labeling the orders as censorship and an attack on free speech.
