The Brazilian left’s quest to ‘tame’ Meta: A narrative of denouncement and resistance
In our October edition of Undertones, we examine a movement calling for accountability and coordinated online action to challenge Meta’s problematic content moderation policies and governance practices in Brazil.
In October 2026, Brazilian civil society organizations, social movements, and digital rights advocacy groups launched a campaign to denounce Meta's alleged involvement in electoral interference during Brazil's presidential election. The coalition, which included CTRL+Z, Código Não Binário, ARTIGO 19 (Article 19 Brasil), Sleeping Giants Brasil, and others, created a webpage called naosemeta.com.br to expose Meta's shadow-banning practices and algorithmic bias.
The campaign encouraged people to email Meta, message the company's Brazilian General Director on LinkedIn, or comment on Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's latest Instagram post to hold the tech giant accountable. They also shared a space for signing a petition to the Superior Electoral Court, demanding that Meta recognize technical flaws in its advertising, moderation, and AI systems. This petition claimed that Meta's actions disadvantaged candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during the election.
The protest in front of Meta's offices on October 19 was organized by the Homeless Workers Movement's Technology Center, among other participants. They called for respect for Brazil's digital sovereignty, citing the influence of U.S. President Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro, Lula's political rival, on big-tech owners. The protest aimed to "tame" Meta's algorithm and assert Brazil's control over its digital space.
Written by urgent.news from Global Voices Brazil's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
