Erika Hilton asks the UN to investigate Meta and Zuckerberg for “threat” to the LGBT population

The federal deputy Erika Hilton (PSOL-SP) asked the United Nations (UN) to open an investigation into the decision by Meta – owner of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads – to end fact checking and make content moderation more flexible on its platforms.

The change was announced on Tuesday (7) by Mark Zuckerberg, founder of the company.

The representation was sent to professor and researcher Nicolas Levrat, UN special rapporteur on issues affecting minorities. The deputy states that the changes pave the way for the dissemination of hate speech, incitement to violence and the dissemination of fake news against minority groups based on sexuality, gender, race and ethnicity.

“Policy changes by large corporations like Meta continue to put the lives of LGBTQIA+ individuals at risk,” says an excerpt from the document.

The request is based on two international treaties approved by the UN General Assembly – the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, of 1966, and the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities, of 1992.

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“By relaxing its internal policies, Meta can be considered complicit in the dissemination of practices that violate the rights of groups protected by Brazilian law”, states the deputy in the representation.

Erika Hilton asks the UN to open an investigation and notify Zuckerberg so that the businessman can present detailed information about the new content moderation policy, especially the consequences for the LGBTQIA+ community.

“Immediate intervention is essential to protect the rights of affected communities and prevent further human rights abuses”, appeals the deputy.

According to the first information released by Zuckerberg himself, the previous policy of checking and taking down false posts will be replaced by a new protocol, first adopted in the United States, called Community Notes, similar to that used by X.

Platforms will rely on users themselves to add corrections and context to posts that contain false or misleading information, which should drive the spread of misinformation.