"SAO PAULO - Facebook owner Meta Platforms said on Thursday it had removed a network of social media accounts with ties to the Brazilian military that posed as fake nonprofits to play down the dangers of deforestation.

Although the individuals involved in the network were active military personnel, Meta’s investigation did not find enough evidence to establish if they were following orders or acting independently, said a person with knowledge of the matter.

Meta’s quarterly report could be damaging to Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro. The far-right former army captain, a longtime skeptic of environmentalism, has deployed the armed forces to the Amazon on unsuccessful missions to reduce destruction of the world’s largest rainforest.

The takedown operation, Meta’s first to hit a network focused primarily on environmental issues, may also add fire to Bolsonaro’s attacks on large tech firms, which he accuses of stifling conservative voices on their platforms."

Brad Haynes reports for Reuters April 7, 2022. [2]

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