Tech roundup: Brazil pivots on social media regulation

Welcome to our Tech Roundup, where we bring you Brazil’s biggest stories on technology and innovation. This week: Government shelves project to curb anti-democratic content on social media through a provisional decree. 

Brazil pivots on social media regulation

At the end of January, Justice Minister Flávio Dino said that he would imminently present President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva with a project to curb the spread of anti-democratic speech on social media, in the form of a provisional decree. But after the idea was criticized by House moments and digital rights activists, the government has decided to bury it.

Why it matters. Since before winning the elections, Lula had said that regulating social media platforms in the country would be a hot-button issue for his administration. As soon as he took office, the president sought to push through the so-called “Fake News bill,” which has stalled in Congress for over a year. 

• However, following the Brasília riots on January 8, when a coup-mongering mass vandalized Congress, the Supreme Court, and the presidential palace, the government’s priority changed from fighting misinformation to dealing with anti-democratic content.

What happened. During a recent event promoted by the news outlet Teletime, Digital Policies Secretary João Brant...