O The request was submitted by the Deputy Attorney General of the Republic, Lindôra Araújo, in response to the complaint by the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira, who considered “forceful and abusive” some actions taken by the two platforms against a bill that is being discussed in the lower house of Brazil.
Google and Telegram have published messages criticizing the bill in recent days, which they describe as an attempt at censorship and violation of freedom of expression, and guarantee that its passage could force them to leave the country.
The Brazilian Government, which supports the project against the spread of false news on the Internet, also criticized social network providers for their campaign against the initiative, for trying to pressure Brazilian legislators and turn public opinion against them.
The Minister of Justice, Flávio Dino, accused the two platforms of using their “economic power” to promote an “abusive and dishonest campaign” against the project and a “parliamentary and democratic” debate that seeks to contain the massive circulation of disinformation on the Internet.
The Public Ministry claimed in its petition before the Federal Supreme Court (STF) that the conduct of the directors of both companies would have an alleged criminal potential and, therefore, requests authorization to open an investigation.
In the message that it published on its ‘site’ and that the STF forced to withdraw, Google said that the legislative initiative “may increase confusion about what is true or false in Brazil”.
Telegram was more direct and, in a message distributed to all its customers and which it was also forced to withdraw, stated that the bill “will kill the Internet in Brazil” and that democracy is under attack in the country.
The request from the Brazilian Public Ministry will be analyzed by the magistrate Alexandre de Moraes, responsible for a case on the massive dissemination of false information, and who on Wednesday ordered Telegram to withdraw the message that he considered false under penalty of being blocked for 72 hours and punished with heavy financial penalties.
In its petition to the STF, the Public Ministry alleges that the companies, taking advantage of their hegemonic position in the market, launched a sordid campaign of disinformation, manipulation and intimidation against a parliamentary initiative with the sole intention of defending their economic interests.
The contested bill, already approved by the Senate, criminalizes the dissemination of false content on your automated accounts, holds providers accountable for third-party content driven by payments and requires providers to have representation in Brazil.
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