Brazilian attorney general says that Meta’s move to loosen curbs on hate speech may put it at odds with country’s laws.
Published On 14 Jan 2025
Brazilian authorities have expressed “serious concern” over a recent announcement by the social media giant Meta that they will ease their policies restricting incendiary speech and fact-checking.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Brazilian attorney general’s office (AGU) said that it would ask for more information from Meta, adding that the policy change may not comply with Brazilian law.
“Some aspects contained in the Meta document cause serious concern. The changes now reported by Meta, are not in line with Brazilian legislation and are not sufficient to protect the fundamental rights of citizens,” the office said in a statement.
Last week, Meta, which owns platforms like Facebook and Instagram, scrapped a third-party fact-checking programme, on the basis that it had become a “tool to censor”.
The company also indicated it would loosen curbs on rhetoric that could be seen as hostile to groups such as immigrants and LGBTQ people.
“We’re getting rid of a number of restrictions on topics like immigration, gender identity and gender that are the subject of frequent political discourse and debate,” Meta said in a statement. “It’s not right that things can be said on TV or the floor of Congress, but not on our platforms.”
The shift away from fact-checking came within weeks of United States President-elect Donald Trump taking office on January 20. Trump has repeatedly criticised social media platforms as biased.
Meta has said in a subsequent letter that the fact-checking c