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Brazil’s supreme court has ruled that social media platforms can be held legally responsible for posts that promote hate speech, violence, or “anti-democratic acts,” and companies like Facebook (NASDAQ:META), TikTok (BDNCE), and X will have to remove such material even without a takedown order, according to a report by the Financial Times.
The move by the South American nation’s top court on Thursday has paved the way for individuals to be able to sue digital platforms if illegal content that is brought to the companies’ attention is not deleted, the report said.
“We are concerned about the implications of the ruling on speech and the millions of businesses that rely on our apps for growth and job creation in Brazil,” Meta reportedly said. “[It] brings legal uncertainties and will have significant consequences for free expression, innovation, and digital economic development, significantly increasing the risk of doing business in Brazil.”
Under a previous rule, apps and sites were only deemed civilly liable for damages caused by third-party posts when they failed to comply with judicial orders to take down the offending content.
Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) reportedly said it had already expressed “concerns about changes that could impact freedom of expression and the digital economy,” adding that it was analyzing the decision.