Meta, a company owned by Mark Zuckerberg that oversees Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and WhatsApp, recently revised the usage guidelines for their Brazilian users. An important update concerns the handling of “hate speech.”
The global changes took effect on Tuesday (7) and are related to the company’s shift in direction. Mark expressed his support for freedom of expression.
The new guidelines permit profiles to link sexual and gender differences with psychological disorders and to remove fact-checking on social media platforms.
Does Brazil allow Meta to exercise “freedom of expression”?
Meta clarified that the document update is universal and should be considered the primary document. This raised worries in Brazil among Lula and Alexandre de Moraes, the Supreme Court Minister, due to a situation reminiscent of Twitter in 2024.
Since 2023, the Federal Court has deemed offensive actions against LGBTQIAP+ individuals illegal.
Meta’s new controversial guidelines.
Meta’s updated guidelines permit the discussion of mental illnesses or abnormalities related to gender or sexual orientation, taking into account political and religious views on transgender individuals and homosexuality, as well as the colloquial and non-literal usage of terms like “squisite.”
Gender-specific restrictions for military, law enforcement, and educational positions are permitted, as well as content relating to sexual orientation based on religious beliefs.
The company removed references to hate speech transitioning into physical spaces. The statement “we will not allow hate speech” was changed to “conduct of hate,” and the passage about creating an environment of intimidation and exclusion that could incite violence was taken out.
Allow room for expression.
Our policies were created to allow for this kind of expression, as stated by the company in a passage about sexuality.
- Language that is specific to gender and sex, including the mention of health categories.
- Encouraging the use of offensive language and promoting exclusion in conversations.
- Gender disrespect.
- Gender-based restrictions on employment and teaching, along with religious factors.
- Women being compared to objects.
- Black individuals being linked with farming tools.
- Denial of the existence of safeguarded communities.
The excerpt mentioned earlier.