Meta not ending fact-checks outside US yet, fails to appease Brazil

Meta has told Brazil it will not end fact-checks outside the US just yet, but Brasilia expressed "serious concern" Tuesday that the company's new social media policies went against the country's laws.

Brazil had given Meta a 72-hour deadline to explain its policy for the country, after the shock announcement last week by company chief executive Mark Zuckerberg that he was ditching independent fact-checking in the United States.

The social media giant assured Brazil the policy would not extend to other countries until Meta had fully tested a new "Community Notes" system which will replace third-party fact-checkers.

The response will be discussed at a meeting Tuesday of representatives of the justice ministry, human rights ministry and the presidency's communication arm.

"Only after this analysis, the AGU, together with the other bodies, will pronounce itself on the next steps about the matter and will make the content of the statement public," the statement said.

The Latin American giant, which has a population of over 200 million people, is one of several countries deeply concerned over Meta's decision to weaken checks on disinformation.

Policy of appeasement?

The company, which runs the social media platforms Facebook, Instagram and Threads, announced last week it was stopping fact-checking in the US due to concerns about political bias and censorship.

The decision was widely seen as an attempt to appease President-elect Donald Trump, whose conservative support base has long complained that fact-checking on tech platforms was a way to curtail free speech and censor right-wing content.

The International Fact-Checking Network has warned of devastating consequences if Meta broadens its policy shift beyond US borders to the company's programs covering more than 100 countries.