Brazil moves to tighten platform oversight, strengthen online safety
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during the launch ceremony of a program to combat organized crime at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, May 12, 2026. REUTERS/Adriano Machado
BRASILIA, May 20 : Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday signed a package of draft bills and decrees to tighten oversight of digital platforms, incorporating Supreme Court interpretations of Brazil's internet legal framework.
The measures target online safety, requiring digital platforms to act more quickly against harmful content and clarifying their responsibilities.
KEY DETAILS
• Big Tech must establish reporting channels for crimes, immediately remove illegal content and store data to enable prosecution of offenders.
• Platforms must take preventive measures against serious crimes, including terrorism, child sexual exploitation, human trafficking, self-harm incitement and violence against women.
• Companies can be held accountable for paid advertising promoting crimes if there are "recurring failures" in prevention and content removal.
• Services like WhatsApp, messaging apps, email and videoconferencing are excluded due to constitutional privacy protections, the presidential office said.
