The tech giant was given 72 hours by the Brazilian government to explain the effects of abolishing fact-checking after CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that it would be abolished in the USA. It will be abolished in March, and according to Meta's new statement, it will not happen in other countries until it has been "tested and refined".
The fact-checking will be replaced by users, similar to what Elon Musk has introduced on X, taking responsibility for the review themselves – so-called community notes.
The Attorney General, who has previously threatened legal action, expresses "serious concern" over parts of Meta's statement. It mainly concerns Meta's decision on looser rules in Brazil regarding topics such as gender and sexual identity to enable "a broader debate and conversation".
"The changes that Meta has now presented are not in line with Brazilian legislation and are not sufficient to protect citizens' fundamental rights", according to a statement from the Attorney General's office.