Brazil’s data privacy law misunderstood and misused by government

By Janaína Camelo

Brazil’s General Data Protection Law (LGPD) passed in 2018 and came into force two years later. And last month, companies and governments became susceptible to fines for data privacy transgressions for the first time. Following the molds of European regulations, the law was set to alter the paradigm of how data is treated in Brazil. But the reality has been less rosy, with 40 percent of firms still completely unprepared to comply with the new rules — and the government making use of the law for nefarious purposes.

According to a survey by Fiquem Sabendo, a non-profit organization advocating for freedom of...