Brazil Will be Regulating Online Speech to Go After “Fake News” and “Hate Speech”
Jose Nino
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In early February, Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court (TSE) announced plans to impose new rules on social media platforms to tackle what the court’s president and justice of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) Alexandre de Moraes describes as “extreme right wing populists.”
During a business conference, De Moraes revealed that the legislative proposal would be introduced before Brazil’s National Congress.
He wants this proposal to feature rules that impede “extremists”’ ability to “capture” social media websites.
In addition, De Moraes said that measures embraced by a commission created in the Superior Electoral Court will now be introduced before Congress to guarantee that it approves “mechanisms” that would micromanage social media.
In addition, De Moraes emphasized the threat of democracies being “attacked from within.” In light of this, De Moraes urged for the usage of “instruments” at the national and international level in order to hold perceived violators accountable.
On top of that, De Moraes talked about “international trafficking of ideas against democracy” that must be curtailed.
Didi Rankovic of Reclaim the Net observed that “De Moraes seemed particularly keen on expanding the new rules from domestic to international legislation, with the goal of defending against social media’s alleged ability to undermine pretty much the entire order of the world as we know it: democracy, the rule of law, institutions.”
The public official asserted that social networks are currently not technology but media companies, therefore should be treated in the same way as their traditional media counterparts.
Above all, De Moraes wants to ensure that social media companies are held liable for abuses with regards to “fake news and hate speech” and disclosure.
Rankovic noted that these developments came “against the backdrop of Brazil’s contested presidential election, after which supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro – of whom De Moraes is a fierce political enemy – protested and rioted at several top national institutions, including the Congress and the Federal Supreme Court buildings.” A similar scenario occurred in the US, when policymakers and pundits called for the policing of so-called hate speech, disinformation, or any dissident content that allegedly incites violence.
Indeed, the battle against managerial tyranny is an international phenomena that the Right must confront. These moments are learning experiences for right-wing populists of all nationalities. They’re also a sign of the fact that we’re fighting a diabolical supranational elite who wants to erase nations and their traditional freedoms.
For that reason, we must be ready to combine forces to put these rootless cosmopolitans in their place.
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