Attack on Brazilian legislation? Lula holds meeting with ministers to discuss changes in Meta policies

The announcement of Meta, held on Tuesday (7) by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, left users, experts and even governments in a state of attention. This issue is so urgent that, this morning, the president of the Republic Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva met with government ministers to discuss the new guidelines of the company. Now, the system of fact-checking (fact-checking) of the social networking platforms Instagram, Facebook and Threads will be officially discontinued in the United States; and, in the long run, the measure is also expected to be applied in other countries. 

According to the CEO of Meta, the goal is to reduce errors committed by the system, which accidentally removed some profiles and publications, and value the freedom of expression of users. In practice, fact-checking will not be totally excluded, but the “notas model of the” community will be adopted, similar to that used by X, in which users themselves put observations in posts. For the federal government, this new policy worries, because it goes against the sovereignty of countries; Lula even declared 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 changes in the Meta policy is the possible freedom to discuss discriminatory issues, such as gender and race, which are liable to crime in the country.In addition to today's meeting, the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) has also demanded explanations from the company, which also owns Whatsapp, to assess the impact of these changes in Brazil. For the CEO of Silva Lopes Advogados and Law specialist in the business area, Layon Lopes, the issue is complex, and may have legal and economic consequences not only for Brazil, but globally.  

. 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 seek to protect fundamental rights, such as dignity and non-discrimination. This situation requires careful attention and collaboration between governments, companies and society, comments Lopes.

In addition, the Minister of the Supreme Court (STF), Alexandre de Moraes, also commented on the changes, and said that social networks can continue to operate if they respect the laws in force in the Brazilian territory. It is worth remembering that the beginning of the second half of 2024 was marked by the clash between the STF and platform X, which culminated in the blocking of the social network after the noncompliance with Brazilian legislation.