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A recent decision by Mark Zuckerberg has sparked outrage in the Lula government, generating debates about technology, privacy and global policies.
The decision of Meta, the company that owns the Facebook and Instagram, to abandon the fact-checking system on its platforms provoked immediate reactions in Brazil. In addition to criticism from the Secretary of Digital Policies of the Lula Government, João Brant, the Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, classified the measure announced by Mark Zuckerberg as “worrying”.
Meta changes moderation policies
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, announced on Tuesday (7) that professional fact-checking agencies will no longer operate on the company's platforms. company.
Instead, a community ratings system will be adopted, inspired by the model used by X (formerly Twitter). The change will begin in the United States and will later be implemented in other countries.
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According to Mark Zuckerberg, Meta seeks to simplify its content policies and promote freedom of expression.
He criticized fact-checking agencies, claiming that they would be “politically biased” and would undermine user trust.
The fact-checking policy was introduced by Meta in 2016 with the aim of reducing the spread of misinformation.
Rumors identified as false had their reach reduced, and publications received notifications to alert users.
Concern in the Lula government
Fernando Haddad, when commenting on the decision, expressed concern about the impacts of this change on the dissemination of fake news. In an interview with GloboNews, the minister stated that freedom of expression cannot be used as a justification for the spread of slander, lies and defamation.
— Today we had an announcement from a major global communications organization saying that it will remove fake news filters from its controls, adhering somewhat to the mindset that freedom of expression includes slander, lies, defamation and everything else, which worries us. — declared Haddad.
João Brant, in turn, highlighted that Meta's decision favors political groups aligned with the extreme right and opens space for greater polarization on networks.
For him, the measure is aligned with the interests of the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, whose administration begins in January 2025.
The Donald Trump Connection
The change announced by Meta comes at a time of rapprochement between Mark Zuckerberg and Trump. In November 2024, the CEO of Meta attended a dinner with the president-elect, declaring, according to Fox News, that he wants to support “America's national renewal under Trump's leadership".
For Secretary João Brant, Meta is repositioning itself politically on the international stage, in line with the interests of the future United States government. He believes that the decision could be a blow to countries that seek to balance rights in the digital environment, such as Brazil, the European Union and Australia.
Impact on fact-checking agencies
The end of the partnership with fact-checking agencies is likely to have consequences. These companies, which work to identify disinformation on sensitive topics such as elections and the COVID-19 pandemic, will lose an important channel of operation.
Brant warned that Meta is “financially suffocating” these agencies, which depended on operations carried out within the platforms.
With the change, Mark Zuckerberg argues that Meta is correcting moderation flaws, but critics point out that the measure could pave the way for the spread of misinformation.
