The Labor Court in Brazil has ordered Meta to remove publications on Instagram that encourage business owners to monitor, expose, and dismiss employees based on their political choices. The injunction, signed by Judge Bruno José Perusso of the 77th Labor Court in São Paulo, also requires the tech giant to display warnings against discrimination based on political conviction and electoral harassment at work across Instagram, Threads, and Facebook.
Meta has been given a strict 24-hour deadline to delete the offending content. Additionally, the company must maintain these warning notices on all three platforms for five consecutive days. The profiles responsible for the posts must be notified within 48 hours that their content was removed by judicial order. Meta is also obligated to preserve the deleted publications and their technical data until the conclusion of the legal proceedings, facing a fine of R$ 200,000 if it fails to comply.
The lawsuit was filed by the Public Ministry for Labor (MPT), which is seeking R$ 50 million in compensation for collective moral damages. This request will be evaluated during the trial. In his ruling, Judge Perusso stated that while expressing political opinions is protected, using digital platforms to incite punishment against workers for their ideological choices exceeds the limits of free speech and constitutes an illicit act.
The legal action follows a surge in reports of electoral harassment. Between midnight on October 26 and noon on October 29, the MPT received 1,459 complaints regarding such incidents. Throughout this year's election cycle, the agency has recorded a total of 3,396 occurrences. This case against Meta is part of a broader context of pressure campaigns against workers based on their political beliefs.
Similar legal measures have been taken elsewhere in Brazil. In Rio de Janeiro, state deputy Índia Armelau, the most voted candidate in the state this year, was prohibited by the courts from encouraging employers to fire employees for their voting choices. Furthermore, commercial establishments have become targets of these campaigns. Supporters of Flávio Bolsonaro have circulated lists on social media and WhatsApp groups naming businesses that allegedly supported Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's candidacy. The targeted entities include small grocery stores, bakeries, bookstores, and larger companies such as Itaú and the Ipiranga gas station chain.
Sources: Olhar Digital.