MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Brazil’s reacts to Meta’s decision to drop fact checking program, “social media will not become a lawless land”
Brazil's Supreme Court will not allow technology companies to exploit their use of hate speech for profit, Moraes said Brazil’s government and Justice Branch have reacted strongly to Meta’s announcement to abandon its fact checking program. The country’s newly appointed Communication Minister Sidonio Palmeira criticized Meta's decision, calling it “bad for democracy.”
“Without fact-checking you don't control the spread of hate, misinformation and fake news,” he said, adding that Brazil needs to regulate social media, similarly to Europe.
Likewise Brazilian judge Alexandre de Moraes said social media firms would need to comply with domestic laws and legislations in order to keep operating in Brazil.
Brazil's Supreme Court will not allow technology companies to exploit their use of hate speech for profit, Moraes said, adding that social media “will not become a lawless land” in the country.
“They will only continue to operate if they respect Brazilian law, regardless of the bravado of irresponsible leaders of Big Tech,” the judge said.
Although Moraes did not name any company in his remarks, they came after Meta announced it would scrap its US fact-checking program, citing political bias concerns.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also slammed in his video statement what he said were acts of censorship in various regions around the world, calling out Latin America, Europe and China.
Moraes is the judge behind last year's top court decision to temporarily suspend social media platform X, owned by Elon Musk in Brazil.
The growing rift between Brazilian authorities and Musk was triggered by X's non-compliance with court orders demanding it take action against the spread of hate speech. Musk had denounced such orders as censorship.
Zuckerberg had said Meta would begin by scrapping fact checkers in the US. Brazil's prosecutor's office gave the company 30 days to clarify whether it intends to implement the changes in Brazil as well.
The prosecutors' order was related to an ongoing probe of the actions taken by social media platforms to combat misinformation and violence online in Brazil.
Top Comments
Disclaimer & comment rules-
-
-
Read all commentsBrasileiro your plan might have worked in the days when Brasil was isolated by distance but in this modern era we are part of a global network.
Posted 10 hours ago 0The only way we can have better social networks than the “US-owned” ones is to create networks that are well above those out there at present.
We have the brains here all we need is the support to create and promote a better system.
Personally I don't give a rip. I am only a part of one social media platform and only that one because it supports a sub-group centered on an ex-employer of mine. Just as I am able to walk past scores of stores selling junk I don't need, don't care for and will never buy, so I (and by extension everyone else) am able to ignore all hype, misinformation, propaganda and gossip at will. No one holds a gun to my head to participate in this circus. Government, however, does, at least in the last instance, hold a figurative gun to our heads when it presumes to 'safeguard' us from information (be it false or true) and therein lies the true danger. Government involvement in the exchange of ideas (be they good or bad) is in itself bad. We do not need a nanny.
Posted 4 hours ago 0I do not have a social media account and never have. 25 years in “IT,” not to mention the rise of cybercrime/stalking disabused me of the notion. Amusingly, I ran into a past student of mine who asked me if I had an account on facebook. When I replied no, she said “Good, don't...”
Posted 1 hour ago 0Please log in or register (it’s free!) to comment. Login with Facebook