Brazil Demands Clarity After Meta Ends Fact-Checking

Brazil has demanded clarity on how Meta’s fact-checking policy will apply to the country and said it could take “legal and judicial” measures against the company if it does not respond to an extrajudicial notice on the matter.

The country’s government is looking for specifics on how Meta’s decision to end fact-checking in the US could apply to Brazil and how Meta plans to protect “fundamental rights” on its platforms, including Instagram and Facebook, attorney general Jorge Messias told a press conference.

He cited Meta’s “lack of transparency” on the topic and asked Meta to “inform the Brazilian government of its actual policy for Brazil”.

‘Lack of transparency’

Meta’s decision to end fact-checking in the US comes amidst a host of other changes that bring the company’s policies into line with those of president-elect Donald Trump.

The move has spurred concerns in countries and regions including the EU and Brazil over misinformation.

The Brazilian presidency said the changes at Meta were a key topic of discussion in a call between Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and French president Emmanuel Macron.

The two “agreed that freedom of expression does not mean freedom to spread lies, prejudices and insults”, the presidency stated.

The government’s extrajudicial notice also took issue with Meta’s loosening of restrictions on topics such as gender and sexual identity.

“We will not allow, under any circumstances, these networks to transform the environment into a digital massacre or barbarity,” Messias said.

He highlighted Brazil’s strict laws protecting children and vulnerable populations.

The notice asks for information on how social media algorithms will be designed to “unwaveringly promote and protect fundamental rights” and what measures will be in place to prevent gender-based violence, racism, homophobia, transphobia, suicide, hate speech and other rights violations.

Disinformation

The notice also asks Meta how complaints can be filed and how contradictions and disinformation will be handled in Meta’s new “Community Notes” system.

The government response came after a government meeting overseen by Lula on the issues.

“All companies operating in the country must respect Brazilian legislation and jurisdiction,” said Lula on X after the meeting.

Brazil’s Supreme Court last year blocked social media platform X for 40 days after the company refused to comply with court orders regarding social media disinformation.

The platform’s owner, Trump ally Elon Musk, had claimed the orders were illegal, but later said he would comply.