Justice orders Meta to remove posts that encourage dismissal over political vote

The Labor Court has ordered Meta, the company responsible for Facebook, Instagram and Threads, to remove from its platforms publications that encourage the persecution and dismissal of workers for their political choices. The measure was established on Thursday (29) and seeks to combat electoral harassment practices in labor relations, after thousands of complaints registered during the 2026 elections.

The decision came from Judge Bruno José Perusso, of the 77th Labour Court of São Paulo, who analyzed a public civil action brought by the Public Ministry of Labour (MPT). The company must delete 14 publications identified by the body within 24 hours of receiving the judicial notification.

In addition to the removal of content, the decision establishes measures to prevent publications from continuing to be disseminated by social media recommendation systems.

More than 3,000 complaints of electoral harassment

The growth of complaints of political discrimination in the professional environment motivated the work of the Public Ministry of Labour. According to the agency, more than 3,080 reports of possible cases of electoral harassment were received in different regions of Brazil during this year’s elections.

One of the data that drew attention was the concentration of complaints after the vote of the second round. In just 72 hours, the MPT counted 1,147 communications related to possible irregularities.

Among the situations identified are content that guided entrepreneurs to check the social networks of employees to find out their party preferences, as well as demonstrations encouraging the dismissal of workers who voted on certain candidates.

Publications were also pointed out that advocated the exclusion of job candidates for political reasons and the public exposure of professionals who expressed opinions contrary to those of their employers.

For the Public Ministry of Labor, this type of behavior can compromise fundamental rights and create an environment of intimidation within companies.

Meta will have to issue warnings to users

The court decision is not limited to the exclusion of the 14 publications. The Goal should also adopt measures to reduce the circulation of content considered discriminatory.

Among the obligations is the interruption of the automatic recommendation of the identified publications, avoiding that they are distributed to new users by tools such as Instagram Explore and the suggestions of short videos.

The company will also have up to 48 hours to inform those responsible for the affected accounts that the posts have been removed by court order.

Another requirement is the dissemination of an institutional statement on the three platforms used in Brazil. The notice must be published within 72 hours and remain available for five consecutive days.

The message should clarify that Brazilian legislation does not allow workers to discriminate on the basis of their political convictions, whether during a hiring, in the maintenance of employment or in a decision to terminate.

The company must also preserve the removed contents and the respective technical records, which can be used as evidence during the progress of the process.

Can a worker be fired for voting on a particular candidate?

Brazilian legislation protects workers from discriminatory practices related to their political convictions.

Although companies may make dismissals without just cause under the conditions provided for by law, this possibility does not authorize the use of electoral preference as a justification to prosecute or harm professionals.

In the assessment presented by Judge Bruno José Perusso, there is a difference between expressing a political opinion, a right guaranteed by Constituição Federal, and encouraging professional punishments against people who think differently.

In this way, expressions of support or opposition to candidates are not confused with publications that encourage entrepreneurs to identify, embarrass or dismiss employees for their choices in the polls.

Fines can reach R $ 50,000 per publication

Failure to comply with the determination may have financial consequences for the Goal.

If the identified contents are not removed within the established period, the company will be subject to a daily fine of R $ 50,000 per publication that remains available.

If the company stops disclosing the mandatory statement on electoral harassment, it may receive another fine, of R $ 200,000.

In addition to these penalties, the Public Ministry of Labor requests that the company be sentenced to pay R$ 50 million for collective moral damages.

This request, however, has not yet been tried. The decision announced on Thursday is an injunction, i.e. a medida provisória adopted before the definitive conclusion of the process.

Meta may present its defense and appeal to the competent instances of the Labour Justice.

Read also: https://bntonline.com.br/sus-quase-10-mil-testes-positivos-hpv-alto-risco/