Incoming communication minister says Meta’s* decision is “bad for democracy”.
Attending a ceremony observing two years since the coup attempts of January 8, 2023, Justice Alexandre de Moraes of Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court (STF) took the opportunity to send a message to big tech companies. His remarks came a day after Meta — owner of Facebook*, Instagram*, Threads, and WhatsApp —announced changes to its fact-checking system in the United States.
Without mentioning names, Moraes emphasized that Brazil is not a lawless land for social media companies and stated that these firms will only be allowed to operate in the country if they comply with Brazilian law, “regardless of the bravado from irresponsible big tech executives.”
Mr. Moraes said social media platforms fueled the attacks on the Praça dos Três Poderes and noted that “there was an attempted coup, filmed by the coup plotters themselves.”
On Tuesday, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, announced that the company would eliminate the fact-checking system by professional agencies. The verification process will be replaced by a community note-based model similar to the one used on X, the social media platform owned by billionaire Elon Musk, an ally of United States President-elect Donald Trump.
Upon making the announcement, Mr. Zuckerberg criticized what he called “secret tribunals” in Latin America, which was perceived behind the scenes as a reference to the Brazilian Supreme Court. Last year, Mr. Musk and Mr. Moraes were involved in a legal dispute that led to the suspension of X’s operations in Brazil after the company refused to comply with the requirement to maintain a representative in the country and failed to pay court-imposed fines.
During the Wednesday ceremony, the future Minister of the Special Secretariat for Social Communication (SECOM), Sidônio Palmeira, said Meta’s announced change is “bad for democracy.” He further advocated for social media regulation without providing specifics.
“My opinion is that this is bad for democracy. And how do we face the debate? We can’t control the spread of hate, misinformation, and fake news. That’s the problem. We need to have control,”
Mr. Palmeira said at a press conference at the Planalto Palace.
“There needs to be social media regulation. That must happen in Europe and countries in our region. The United States often considers banning TikTok. China blocks it. Why are we exposed to all of that?”
he argued, referring to threats of a TikTok ban in the U.S. and the prohibition of platforms like Facebook in China.
When asked if the Brazilian government and judiciary could act to prevent abuses, he said they could:
“We have an autonomous, independent country that will take the necessary measures for us.”
Mr. Palmeira’s appointment as the new head of SECOM was confirmed on Tuesday after weeks of speculation. He will replace the licensed congressman Paulo Pimenta, tasked with improving government communication and boosting President Lula’s popularity.
*banned and designated as extremist in Russia
Source: Valor International
