Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp (the most used app in Brazil), is set to remove an estimated additional 6,000 employees this week in its third and possibly final wave of mass layoffs. Since November 2022, about 21,000 Meta workers have lost their jobs, including this latest round of cuts.
From giants to small fintech startups and apps, the tech sector has shredded hundreds of thousands of jobs since last year — with most citing challenging macroeconomic conditions and a need to reach profitability.
These cuts should primarily affect individuals on the business teams, according to Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs. The layoffs also affected Meta’s Brazilian operation (the company has offices in both São Paulo and Brasília), although the extent of the impact remains unclear. Meta declined a request for comment from The Brazilian Report.
Experts worry about the impact of social media platforms’ labor cuts on hate speech moderation. Twitter, for example, has shut down offices in Brazil — which researchers say has contributed to turning the platform into an even bigger cesspool of hate speech and misinformation.
These worries come as both the Brazilian Congress and Supreme Court delve into social media regulations. The lower house has recently fast-tracked the so-called “Fake News Bill,” which aims to limit the spread of misinformation by making platforms liable for monetized third-party content.
The Supreme Court, meanwhile, has on its docket trials that could significantly alter key tenets of online speech. The court will consider cases calling for social media platforms to be held accountable for content posted by users.
Companies say the cases can potentially change the very structure of the internet in Brazil — and could set an important precedent for other countries. A report by the NGO Freedom House calls countries such as Brazil, India, and Nigeria “swing states” on which internet freedom hinges, due to their potential regional or global influence on the future of internet governance.
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