The Fake News Bill (PL 2630), a law that was created to fight fake news and online violence – that has spilled out to the “real world” – has been finding resistance from the big tech companies and the government’s political opposition. Both groups carried out a campaign against it.
The Attorney General’s Office (PGR) asked the Federal Supreme Court (STF) to open an inquiry to investigate directors of Google and Telegram in Brazil who would have participated in a campaign against the so-called PL of Fake News. The case shall be analyzed by Minister Alexandre de Moraes.
The opposition, which sided with big tech companies, see the proposal as a form of censorship. Supporters of this bill claim that it will fight extremism, violence, the dissemination of false information. Large technology companies, such as Google, declare that the PL is anti-democratic, threatens freedom of expression and excessively holds technology companies accountable, which can lead to a huge volume of lawsuits.
Campaign Against Bill 2630
The case was motivated by Chamber President Arthur Lira (PP), who informed the PGR that the two companies have carried out abusive actions against the approval of Bill nº 2.630/2020, popularly known as “Fake News Bill”.
On Tuesday (09/05), Justice Minister Flávio Dino joined Lira’s position and said that technology companies want to blackmail and threaten the government and Congress to prevent the approval of the so-called Fake News Bill, a project that provides for the regulation of social networks.
The proposal has already been approved by the Senate and is awaiting analysis by the Deputies Chamber. It should have already been voted, but the session was postponed to avoid an imminent defeat due to a movement of opposition promoted by supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro, evangelic politicians and the big tech companies.
The Bill
The text, which is still waiting to be voted by the federal deputies, among other points, criminalizes large-scale dissemination of false information on the internet. It also defines that digital platforms must maintain transparent rules for moderation and algorithms. Furthermore, the proposed law orders that the companies in this sector must prevent and reduce illegal practices, such as crimes against the democratic rule of law, acts of terrorism, crime against children and teens, racism and violence against women.
Telegram
Telegram is one of the companies that worries authorities the most. The App has an internal search tool with which people can search for any kind of group; offers anonymity options; and secret environments. In addition, it resists any kind of content moderation and has a history of non-compliance with court decisions.
There are groups where people share extremist political ideas, such as Nazism; with sales of weapons, ammunition, and even fake vaccination cards. In others, people sell intimate images illegally recorded, including pedophilia.
Discord
Sexual exploitation, pedophilia, self-mutilation, racism, apology for Nazism, mistreatment of animals and incitement to murder are among the illegal activities found in another application that became popular during the pandemic, Discord. The platform became popular for chatting during online games but has been used for committing crimes.
For specialists, the versatility of these platforms, Discord and Telegram, made them ideal for the development of some kind of “dark web/deep web” accessible for all.
Source: G1, Folha de SP, O Globo.
