US Official Accuses Brazil of Censorship Following X Algorithm Change
2 sources · Brazil
Who reported this
- Folha de S.Paulo
- Estadao
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
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Every source for this story reports from Brazil.
Sarah B. Rogers, the US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, accused Brazil of imposing censorship after the social media platform X altered its recommendation algorithm to comply with Brazilian electoral rules. The accusation follows X's disclosure of a new code version featuring a filter called Brazil2026ElectionFilter. This mechanism prevents posts from official candidate accounts from being recommended to users who do not follow them, although the content remains available on the candidates' profiles. X stated that the change is in strict compliance with TSE Resolution 23.610/2019, which requires platforms to exclude official candidate profiles from recommendation systems unless the content is paid promotion.
This incident occurs amid escalating diplomatic tensions between the administrations of Donald Trump and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Recent points of friction include US tariffs on Brazilian products, visa restrictions for Brazil's ambassador to the US, and disagreements over freedom of expression and digital platform regulation. Additionally, reports indicate the Trump administration is considering sanctions against Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
How each side framed it
- Centre
- The center-leaning source focused on the specific legal resolution and the broader context of trade and diplomatic frictions.
- Centre-right
- The center-right leaning source emphasized the interference in political content circulation and mentioned potential sanctions against a Brazilian Supreme Court justice.
Sources
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.