by ICL Noticias

Employees at Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, have expressed concern over what they describe as “obvious” and “biased” favoritism toward members of the Bolsonaro family during Brazilian elections.

In a statement, the company’s workers held Meta’s leadership responsible for decisions that, they argue, could undermine the credibility of the democratic process.

Brazilians protest in front of the Meta building in London, UK, against the company’s interference in Brazil’s presidential elections. (Brasil Matters)

The statement was signed by members of the tech sector branch of the United Kingdom’s Communication Workers Union, CWU. In the text, the employees voice concern regarding recent revelations about the company’s management and point to the risk of interference in the elections of other nations.

“Since 2016, the political leanings of Meta executives and company leaders has been no secret,” the document states.

The employees emphasize, however, that they consider this systematic and user-perceptible application of political favoritism to be unprecedented.

“But this is the first time to our knowledge that favours made to politicians such as the Bolsonaros have been programmatically made user-facing to such an obvious and biased extent,” the statement reads.

The text also expresses concern that the company’s actions could damage public trust in democratic institutions and in digital platforms themselves.

“The last thing we want is to sit back and watch our employer interfering in the democratic processes of countries like Brazil,” the employees say.

According to the group, a loss of credibility in elections and politicians could also erode trust in the technologies developed by the company. The employees warn that this scenario sets a dangerous precedent for the future.

“We Meta employees want to build technologies and platforms that millions of people use and enjoy,” the text states. “In undermining the credibility of elections and politicians, it also unfairly undermines the credibility of what we build, and sets an incredibly dangerous precedent for the future.

At the end of the statement, the employees call on the company to respect democratic principles.

“We call for fairness and democracy to be respected,” the document concludes.

On Saturday, October 24, a protest against Meta’s interventions in the Brazilian elections took place in front of the company’s headquarters in King’s Cross, central London. The demonstration was organized by the “Alliance for Democracy and Brazilian Sovereignty,” a collective of movements bringing together Brazilians in England.

Brazilians protest in front of the Meta building in London, UK (Annaís Berlim/Brazil Matters)

Below is the full text of the statement:

As employees of Meta, we are disturbed by the revelations of the past few days and weeks regarding our management.

Since 2016, the political leanings of Meta executives and company leaders has been no secret.

But this is the first time to our knowledge that favours made to politicians such as the Bolsonaros have been programmatically made user-facing to such an obvious and biased extent.

We Meta employees want to build technologies and platforms that millions of people use and enjoy.

The last thing we want is to sit back and watch our employer interfering in the democratic processes of countries like Brazil.

In undermining the credibility of elections and politicians, it also unfairly undermines the credibility of what we build, and sets an incredibly dangerous precedent for the future.

We call for fairness and democracy to be respected.

This article was originally published by ICL Noticias. It was translated by Panamerican Dispatch. You can read it, in its original language, Portuguese, here.