Meta's announcement, made this Tuesday (7) by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, left users, experts, and even governments on alert. This issue is so urgent that, this morning, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met with government ministers to discuss the company's new guidelines. Now, the fact-checking system (fact-checking) The social media platforms Instagram, Facebook, and Threads will be officially discontinued in the United States; in the long term, the measure is also expected to be implemented in other countries.
According to the Meta CEO, the goal is to reduce errors made by the system, which accidentally removed some profiles and posts, and to uphold users' freedom of expression. In practice, fact-checking will not be completely eliminated, but the "community notes" model will be adopted, similar to the one used by X, where users themselves add observations to posts. For the federal government, this new policy is concerning because it goes against the sovereignty of countries; Lula even stated that digital communication should have the same responsibility as other media, such as the press.
One of the biggest legal and ethical challenges related to Meta's policy changes is the potential freedom to discuss discriminatory topics, such as gender and race, which are subject to criminal penalties in the country. In addition to today's meeting, the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) has also already demanded explanations from the company, which is also the owner of WhatsApp, to assess the impact of these changes in Brazil. For Silva Lopes Advogados CEO and specialist in Business Law, Layon Lopes, the issue is complex and may have legal and economic consequences not only for Brazil but also on a global scale.
- When a large technology company changes its policies, the effects usually go beyond national borders. In Brazil, the challenge is to reconcile freedom of expression with respect for local laws, which aim to protect fundamental rights such as dignity and non-discrimination. This situation requires careful attention and collaboration between governments, companies, and society, comments Lopes.
Furthermore, the Minister of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), Alexandre de Moraes, also commented on the changes and stated that social networks may continue to operate as long as they comply with the laws in force in Brazilian territory. It is worth remembering that the beginning of the second semester of 2024 was marked by the clash between the Supreme Federal Court and the X platform, which resulted in the blocking of the social network after non-compliance with Brazilian legislation.
