Meta Governance: Content Moderation Policies and Their Impact in Latin America (2018–2025)

Bizberge A.; Koziner N.S. · Communication and Society (2026) · DOI: 10.15581/003.39.1.031

Resumen

This study analyzes Meta’s governance structure, its content moderation policies between 2018 and 2025, and their implications for public debate in Latin America from the perspective of the Political Economy of Communication and Human Rights. To this end, it combines documentary analysis, interviews, and a review of statements by regional organizations and experts on digital rights. It concludes that the sophisticated institutional design of moderation presents structural deficits for Latin America. Among these are a low regional representation in the total number of cases studied, particularly in cases of electoral disinformation. Furthermore, it highlights the disconnect between the role of the Oversight Board and the development of corporate policies. The change implemented in 2025 entails greater automation and the outsourcing of moderation responsibility to users, based on a maximalist conception of freedom of expression. In Latin America, this poses a risk to electoral processes. Meta’s strategy highlights the systemic inadequacy of corporate self-regulation as a mechanism for protecting rights and the need for regulatory frameworks with a human rights approach and greater transparency regarding the platform’s architecture.

Instituciones: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú