The conclusion of the company’s fact-checking program comes as FST analyzes digital platforms’ liability for third-party content
THE Federal Public Ministry (MPF) will send a letter to Objective to ask if the content moderation changes announced by US headquarters of the company this Tuesday 7 will be implemented in Brazil. The accusation is part of a civil investigation underway since 2021, concerning the responsibility of large platforms for the content published by their users. Among the targets of the investigations is Meta itself, owner of Facebook, Instagram, Discussions AND Whatsapp.
THE Attorney General of the Union (AGU) also reacted to the changes announced by the company. The Prime Minister of the AGU, Jorge Messiassaid Brazil has legal mechanisms to counter disinformation and that the government will not allow the online environment to become an unregulated space. “This is not a lawless land, of course. Our legal system already offers the antibodies to fight information disorder. That is why we will not stand by and watch,” he told the G1.
The center of the controversy is the Meta’s decision to end the fact-checking programreplacing it with a “community notes” system. This tool, inspired by the X model (formerly Twitter), allows users themselves to classify the veracity of contents, without the participation of experts.
During the announcement, the CEO of Meta, Marco Zuckerbergcriticized the regulations of several countries. He accused Latin America of owning “secret courts” that silently order the removal of contentas well as stating that the European Union has institutionalized censorship and that China has banned Meta’s nominations.
Although Zuckerberg did not mention Brazil, the secretary of Digital Policies of the Secretariat for Social Communications of the Presidency, João Brant, clarified that Meta’s statement refers to the Federal Supreme Court (STF). For him the feat is visible an alignment with the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trumpand seeks to “delegitimize regulatory efforts” in the name of freedom of expression.
The announcement made today by Mark Zuckerberg anticipates the start of the Trump administration and explains Meta’s alliance with the United States government to face the European Union, Brazil and other countries seeking to protect rights in online environment (in his opinion, those who “promote censorship”). (1/8)
— João Brant (@joaobrant) January 7, 2025
In Brazil, the topic gains relevance at a time when the Federal Supreme Court analyzes the constitutionality of article 19 of Marco Civil from the Internet. This provision currently exempts platforms from liability for third-party content, but the Court is likely to review the rule. The rapporteur of the case, minister The days of Toffoli, voted to make the removal of potentially harmful posts mandatory under the law, even without a court order.
Additionally, Meta’s new policy allows dishonorable and factually incorrect mentions against immigrants and minorities in the United States, which raises concerns about the amplification of hate speech and misinformation in other countries. For Jorge Messias, of the AGU, the changes strengthen the urgency for the STF to conclude the ruling on Marco Civil from the Internet.
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Source: Terra
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