The President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s administration has granted Meta a 72-hour deadline to clarify the impact of its new content verification policies on Brazil, according to the Attorney General of the Union, Jorge Messiah, on Friday.
“We will send an out-of-court notice to the company due to its lack of transparency, giving them 72 hours to clarify their policy for Brazil to the Brazilian government,” Messiah told reporters.
The AGU confirmed that AFP notified Meta via mail, to their residential address, and through Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
If Mark Zuckerberg’s company fails to reply within the specified timeframe, “legal actions will be taken,” Messiah stated, without elaborating on the potential repercussions of a potential withdrawal.
Brazil became globally influential in the digital platforms debate in August 2024, when Minister Alexandre de Moraes from the Supreme Federal Court (STF) ordered the nationwide blockage of the X network due to noncompliance with judicial directives on combating misinformation. The restriction lasted for 20 days and was lifted following the company’s compliance.
Meta announced on Tuesday its decision to terminate its fact-checking program in the United States, which marks a significant shift in its content moderation approach and has had a major impact on the communications industry.
Meta aims to “bring back freedom of speech on its platforms” by implementing a community note system in place of verifiers, as stated by Zuckerberg.
Messiah emphasized the significant concern of the Brazilian government, noting that Meta appears to be like an airport windsock, constantly shifting its position according to the direction of the winds.
AFP collaborates with Facebook’s content verification program in 26 different languages, with Facebook compensating approximately 80 organizations globally for their verification services across its platforms, including Whatsapp and Instagram.