By Brad Haynes
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Meta, the owner of Facebook, said on Thursday that it had removed from the platform a network of accounts with ties to Brazilian military personnel that presented themselves as fake non-profit organizations to minimize the dangers of deforestation.
Meta’s comments, published in a quarterly report, pose a risk to President Jair Bolsonaro’s reputation. A longtime skeptic of environmentalism, Bolsonaro has sent the Armed Forces into the Amazon on unsuccessful missions to reduce the destruction of the world’s largest rainforest.
Although the individuals involved are active-duty military personnel, Meta’s investigation did not find sufficient evidence to establish whether they were following orders or acting independently, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.
In the early evening, in a statement, the Army Social Communication Center reported that the Army became aware of the contents of the Meta document through publications in the press and contacted the company to obtain more information, in addition to highlighting that the Force “does not foster disinformation through social media”.
“The Brazilian Army… has official accounts in these media and complies with the usage policies of the companies responsible for these platforms. Thus, the Army has already contacted the company Meta to enable, within the legal parameters in force, access to the data that supported the report, with regard to the alleged participation of military personnel in the activities described”, says the note from the Army.
“Finally, it is worth noting that the Institution requires its professionals to carry out military duties, such as the cult of truth, probity and honesty,” he added.
The account removal operation released on Thursday, the first by Meta to target a network focused primarily on environmental issues, could add to Bolsonaro’s attacks on big tech companies, which he accuses of stifling conservative voices.
Critics say Bolsonaro and his supporters use the platforms to spread disinformation, undermining Brazil’s democratic institutions.
In its report, Meta said the unnamed network, which was limited in scale and authentic engagement, used fake Facebook and Instagram accounts to initially post about land reform and the pandemic, before turning its focus to environmental issues in the future. last year.
“In 2021, they created pages posing as fictitious NGOs and activists focused on environmental issues in the Amazon region. They posted about deforestation, including arguing that not everything is harmful, and criticizing legitimate environmental NGOs that spoke out against deforestation in the Amazon,” Meta said in its report.
“Although the people behind (the network) tried to hide their identities and coordination, our investigation found links to individuals associated with the Brazilian Armed Forces,” Meta added.
Meta declined to provide additional information about its investigation.
The Planalto Palace and the Ministry of Defense had not responded until early evening to requests for comment.
(Additional reporting by Gabriel Stargardter)
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