Change is made in the week in which the deadline for platforms to adapt to the new TSE rules ends
Brazil is no longer part of the list of countries in which X (formerly Twitter) allows the publication of advertisements with political content. The country was part of this relationship until, at least, last Monday (April 29, 2024).
The owner of the social network, Elon Musk, revoked in August 2023 the restriction on the broadcast of political advertisements on X. Brazil was no longer part of the list of nations in which it could be carried out “political campaign ads”. But now, neither campaign advertisements nor the promotion of publications with political content are allowed in the Brazilian market.
The ban on political ads on X had been established before Musk’s acquisition of the platform and was intended to prevent the spread of fake news. On a statement published at the time the businessman revoked this ban, X justified the decision based on his“commitment to freedom of expression”.
According to the new list, advertisements with political content can be made in: Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, United States, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Peru and the United Kingdom.
Brazil’s removal from this list takes place in the same week that the deadline given by the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) for platforms to adapt to the new electoral rules ends.
Article 27-A of resolution 23,732 (full – PDF – 220 kB), of February 27, 2024, for example, says that, in the case of boosted content, platforms must:
- maintain a repository of these advertisements to monitor, in real time, the content, values, those responsible for payment and the characteristics of the population groups that make up the audience (profile) of the contracted advertising;
- provide an accessible and easy-to-use query tool that allows you to perform advanced searches on repository data.
To meet this requirement, platforms would have to set up this panel for a huge list of ads. There is technology for this, but it is expensive. Due to the rules, Google announced last week that it will veto the promotion of political content in the 2024 municipal elections.
The change in the X comes just weeks after clashes between Musk and STF (Supreme Federal Court) minister Alexandre de Moraes.
The businessman made at least 32 publications about Brazil from April 6th to 13th. During this period, he called Minister Moraes “dictator” for practicing what he calls “aggressive censorship”, called for his resignation or impeachment and threatened to close the social network in Brazil.
Moraes determined on April 7 that Musk be included as an investigator in the digital militia inquiry, filed in July 2021, which investigates groups for conduct against democracy. He also opened a new investigation to investigate the conduct of the platform owner. The minister wants the crime of obstruction of justice to be investigated.
