You’re reading The Brazilian Report’s weekly tech roundup, a digest of the most important news on technology and innovation in Brazil. This week’s topics: Brazilian members of Congress resort to lawsuits to force the removal of content online; the country’s first ‘bug bounty’ startup; and a biotechnology firm introduces biological control to fight ticks among cattle.
One in three Brazilian lawmakers filed lawsuits to remove online content
Over one-third of members of Congress have gone to court to request the removal of content from blogs, media outlets, and social media. The figure comes from a report by the Brazilian Association for Investigative Journalism (Abraji), in partnership with newspaper Folha de S.Paulo.
By the numbers. Brazil has 594 members of Congress — 513 representatives and 81 senators. And 233 of them have filed a combined 479 lawsuits trying to strike down online content.
- 354 cases came from lower house members, 293 of which were for “libel.”
- 87 percent of lawsuits are against a journalism blog, media outlet, or social media profile.
Plaintiffs. Trying to use the justice system against unwanted reports is a move that is common to all sides of the political spectrum. There is no particular trend associated with either the left- or right-wing.
Why it matters. Congress is about to decide on the so-called “Fake News” bill — while clearly being interested parties in the discussion. Experts have warned that the bill raises serious threats to freedom of speech.
- “If, in the absence of a law, many public agents resort to the Judiciary to request the exclusion of content in the virtual environment, the legal command to moderate content established by the [Fake News Bill] might be the definitive seal to weaken freedom of expression,” wrote Abraji lead counselor Juliana Fonteles.
Bill. After passing in the Senate, the “Fake News” bill is currently pending before the lower house. Speaker Rodrigo Maia, however, guarantees that the matter will not go to a floor vote before an extensive cycle of debates with experts and lawmakers.
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