Brazilian Court Gives Meta 24 Hours to Prove Equal Treatment of Presidential Campaigns<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\u201cReports of restrictions on legitimate political expression on Meta platforms during Brazil\u2019s elections raise concerns for freedom of expression, association, political participation and equal treatment of political viewpoints, UN experts said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOnline platforms are key actors in democratic debate. Preventing people from speaking or reaching audiences without explanation affects who is heard,\u201d they added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This assessment is based on findings by international election observers who have reported incidents of political discrimination through electronic media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among those incidents, they highlighted the temporary interruptions of the campaign account of President Lula da Silva, the candidate of the Workers\u2019 Party who is competing against U.S.-backed far-right Senator Flavio Bolsonaro in the runoff scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 25.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Observers have also recorded differences in audience engagement, user feeds, view counts and reach; restrictions on that campaign\u2019s Instagram posts; and differences between the main political parties in AI image generation, WhatsApp channel search results, candidates\u2019 stories and the distribution of political content potentially benefiting Bolsonaro\u2019s campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMonitoring reports show thousands of accounts and posts have faced suspensions, reduced visibility and sharing limits, including journalists, human rights defenders, civil society actors and content creators,\u201d the UN experts said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cInformation, including from Meta employees, suggests that accounts linked to one side of the presidential race were disproportionately curtailed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last week, due to this discriminatory treatment, the Brazilian Superior Electoral Court ordered Meta to apply the same rules to both candidates until the runoff, prohibiting unequal restrictions on campaign reach, recommendations, and search results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLosing reach can mean losing a voice in public debate and the ability to mobilise communities. Algorithms, AI systems and content-moderation decisions must not become invisible arbiters of political discussion. Where political expression appears disproportionately restricted, platforms must explain why, address unequal impacts and ensure effective remedies,\u201d the UN experts warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe responsibility to respect human rights requires technology companies to identify, prevent and address adverse impacts, in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, including in platform governance and content moderation,\u201d they added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDuring elections, delayed remedies may have irreversible consequences. Freedom of expression and information integrity must therefore go hand in hand. Measures against disinformation must not arbitrarily restrict legitimate political expression,\u201d the UN experts stressed, and urged Meta to assess whether its moderation, recommendation, and AI systems disproportionately restricted one side of Brazil\u2019s electoral debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDigital platforms must not become unaccountable gatekeepers of political debate, nor should their systems be susceptible to undue influence by political actors. Democracy and free and fair elections depend on independent and consistent platforms and an open, pluralistic environment where people can access information, scrutinise those seeking power, exchange views and organise without arbitrary interference,\u201d the experts said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The statement was signed by figures including Leopoldo Maldonado, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; Margaret Satterthwaite, Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers; and Gina Romero, Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
teleSUR\/ JF Sources: UNHRC \u2013 EFE<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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