Brazil: reported interim ban on Meta collecting news for AI

According to an article by Báo Pháp Luật Việt Nam dated 6 November 2026, republished in Italian by Vietnam.vn, a court in the Brazilian state of São Paulo has ordered Meta to stop immediately collecting Brazilian media content intended for training its AI models. The interim order follows civil proceedings brought by press associations. The order itself has not been consulted: its scope and reasoning are therefore described through the news account, without verification against the primary document.

The associations accuse Meta of making publishers’ continued presence on its platforms conditional on free access to their content. The disputed clause reportedly appears in new business terms of service scheduled to take effect on 20 November. The judge reportedly suspended the clause and prohibited penalties against publishers refusing to accept it, finding it abusive to require the free surrender of copyright-protected journalistic works in exchange for continued access to audiences on social media.

The order reportedly provides for a fine of 1 million Brazilian reais for each day of noncompliance: a measure contingent on breach of the order, rather than compensation already awarded. The judge reportedly acted without awaiting Meta’s response, considering the harm caused by training on journalistic content potentially irreversible. The company would have five days from notification to submit its defence. The interim nature of the measure leaves the outcome of the proceedings open.