The Brazilian government is examining Meta’s reply to the official inquiry regarding its updated content verification policies, as stated by authorities on Tuesday.
The Attorney General of the Union stated that Meta replied to Brazil’s ultimatum just before the 72-hour deadline on Monday morning.
AGU mentioned in a message to AFP that the company’s reaction will be addressed during a “technical meeting” on Tuesday involving representatives from different ministries.
AGU, along with other entities, will decide on the following actions after this examination and will disclose the response’s details.
Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram’s ownership responded to a government request made on January 10 to terminate their social network content verification program.
The government of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva requested that Meta safeguard the “basic rights” of users on their platforms and sought clarification on their digital verification policy in Brazil.
AGU had threatened to take legal action if Mark Zuckerberg’s company did not respond to the deadline set by the National Prosecutor of Defense of Democracy. The consequences of not complying were not specified.
Mark Zuckerberg, the creator and CEO of Meta, made a significant announcement on January 7 that his company will be ending its fact-checking program in the United States, a shift in content moderation strategy that reflects the preferences of the incoming American President, Donald Trump.
The decision raised worry in various countries, such as Brazil, where officials worked to combat online misinformation.
The nation became a global leader in handling digital platforms in August 2024 when Minister Alexandre de Moraes from the Supreme Federal Court ordered a 40-day nationwide ban on the X network for not complying with court orders regarding combating misinformation.
AFP collaborates with Facebook’s content verification program in 26 different languages, with Facebook compensating around 80 organizations globally for their verification services on its platforms, including WhatsApp and Instagram.