Zuckerberg cites censorship by “secret courts” in an indirect statement to the STF

Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, announced this Tuesday (7) the end of the fact-checking system on Facebook and Instagram, citing concerns about excessive censorship. During the speech, Zuckerberg stated that Latin American countries maintain “secret courts” that order the removal of content on social networks in a discreet manner. Although it did not mention Brazil directly, the statement refers to recent situations involving the Federal Supreme Court (STF) and its decisions on digital platforms.

Zuckerberg highlighted that Meta will replace fact-checkers with a community rating system, similar to the model adopted by Elon Musk on X.

“Fact checkers have been too politically biased and have destroyed more trust than they have created, especially in the US. So, over the next few months, we will gradually implement a more comprehensive community rating system,” said the executive.

In Brazil, Meta had joined, in June 2024, the STF program to “combat disinformation”. The agreement was signed by the president of the STF, minister Luís Roberto Barroso, with Zuckerberg’s company and five other major platforms, including YouTube, Google and TikTok. Barroso, on the occasion, defended that freedom of expression must be guaranteed, but highlighted the need to “combat fake news”.

“We cannot allow, behind the screen of freedom of expression, a society to develop in which no one can any longer believe what they see,” declared Barroso during the signing of the agreement last year.

Now, Zuckerberg appears to have signaled a radical change in Meta’s stance. According to him, the company will focus on “reducing errors and unnecessary censorship”.

“We built a bunch of complex systems to moderate content. But the problem with complex systems is that they make mistakes. (…) We have reached a point where there are just a lot of mistakes and a lot of censorship”, he said in his speech this Tuesday.

By stating that “Latin American countries have secret courts” that can order the removal of content silently, Zuckerberg appears to have made an indirect reference to the STF, which has been ordering the blocking of profiles and content considered “offensive to democracy”. Most of these blockades include people linked to the Brazilian right.

The statement also recalls the Brazilian court’s confrontation with X, when Musk denounced minister Alexandre de Moraes’ secret court orders, which resulted in the blocking of profiles on the social network – orders that, according to Musk, violated Brazilian law.

In April 2024, X reported that it was forced by court decisions to block popular accounts, most of them linked to conservatives in Brazil, without being able to reveal the reasons or even who was responsible for the orders.

“We don’t know which posts violate the law. We are prohibited from saying which accounts were affected,” the platform said at the time.

Zuckerberg’s new position also highlights Meta’s rapprochement with Donald Trump’s new government, which will begin its new term on the 20th. Zuckerberg was emphatic in stating that he will work with Trump to confront governments that promote censorship.

“We will work with President Trump to resist governments around the world who are persecuting American companies and pushing for more censorship,” he declared.

Among the changes announced, Meta also plans to move its moderation and security teams out of California, with US content review being based in Texas. The measure aims, according to Zuckerberg, to reduce political bias in moderation decisions.

“I believe this will help build trust in doing this work in places where there is less concern about bias,” he explained.

Meta’s decision to abandon aggressive moderation and promote freedom of expression is expected to have a significant impact in several countries, especially those that make up the European Union, where stricter legislation has been created to combat what is classified as “disinformation”. In his speech this Tuesday, Zuckerberg criticized the increase in laws in Europe that, according to him, institutionalized censorship and hindered innovation.

“The only way to resist this global trend is with the support of the US government,” said the CEO, remembering that he did not take such a measure before because Joe Biden’s Democratic government was also promoting censorship laws and putting pressure on American companies. In his speech, Zuckerberg cited China, which blocks Meta’s applications, preventing them from operating in the country. According to him, Meta is now willing to face these restrictions to restore freedom of expression in the world.

The company’s positioning reinforces a strategy to combat governments that impose regulations on the digital environment. With Trump in charge of the White House, the US is expected to take a stronger stance against such policies. The Republican has previously said that he plans to develop a direct approach in his government to deal with the lack of freedom, cutting funding to NGOs that fight to regulate speech and firing employees who support policies in this regard.

“If we don’t have freedom of speech, then we simply don’t have a free country,” Trump said in a video that was even shared by Musk.

Musk was one of those who welcomed the changes promoted by Zuckerberg at Meta. In a publication on X, the businessman said that the measure was “incredible”.