This briefing examines the human rights impacts of Meta’s operations in Hungary and the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people on Facebook based on research conducted between January 2025 and May 2026.
It assesses Meta’s conduct against international business and human rights standards and the company’s obligations under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
The research was conducted against the backdrop of a worsening environment for the rights of LGBTI people in Hungary. For more than a decade, Hungarian authorities introduced discriminatory laws and policies while government and government-aligned actors increasingly portrayed LGBTI people as a threat to children, families and Hungarian values. These trends intensified in 2025 and 2026 through the adoption of legislation restricting LGBTI-related assemblies, including Pride; constitutional amendments denying recognition to transgender, non-binary and intersex people; and heightened anti-LGBTI rhetoric during the 2026 parliamentary elections.
Facebook occupies a uniquely influential position within Hungary’s information environment, reaching over half of the population. Amnesty International’s research found that many LGBTI people feel unable to leave Facebook despite experiencing hostility and discrimination because of the platform’s importance for social, professional and civic participation.
Amnesty International found that harmful anti-LGBTI content remained visible on Facebook throughout the period examined.
Interviewees described repeated exposure to hostile and discriminatory content, feelings of anxiety, frustration and helplessness, and a growing tendency to self-censor, withdraw from public discussion or avoid participation online. These experiences raise concerns under the rights to freedom of expression and non-discrimination, by undermining LGBTI people’s ability to participate in public and civic life on an equal basis with others. Interview evidence and external research further suggest that engagement-driven recommendation systems may contribute to repeated exposure to harmful and divisive content.
Amnesty International concludes that Meta contributed to adverse human rights impacts experienced by LGBTI people in Hungary through policy decisions, failures of due diligence, shortcomings in risk mitigation and failures to effectively address harmful content.
Read “It Erodes My Soul”: Meta’s Contribution to Anti-LGBTI Discourse in Hungary.”