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Brazil's Finance Ministry promotes big tech bill, counters free speech claims

From Folha de S.Paulo · () Portuguese

Translated from Portuguese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Brazil's economic team is pushing for the approval of a bill regulating big tech competition in the Chamber of Deputies before the legislative recess.
  • The bill aims to give Brazil's Administrative Council for Economic Defense more power to oversee tech giants and combat monopolies, countering claims it restricts free speech.
  • The Ministry of Finance distributed pamphlets to clarify the bill's points, emphasizing its focus on competition rather than content moderation, and citing similar initiatives in other countries.

Brazil's economic team is launching a strong push to get the "Digital Markets Bill" approved by the Chamber of Deputies before the legislative recess begins. The Ministry of Finance distributed pamphlets to party caucuses this week, aiming to clarify the bill's key points, garner support, and combat misinformation.

The initiative comes amid resistance from some lawmakers, particularly on the right, who argue the bill infringes on freedom of expression. Opposition forces are reportedly seeking to delay the vote until after the upcoming elections.

We need to prevent abuses of economic power practiced by a small number of large digital platforms.

— Ministry of Finance pamphletThe pamphlet distributed by the Ministry of Finance outlines the government's rationale for the Digital Markets Bill.

The proposed legislation grants Brazil's Administrative Council for Economic Defense (Cade) enhanced powers to oversee big tech companies like Google, Meta, and Microsoft. Its primary goal is to prevent monopolistic practices and abuses of economic power by these digital platforms. The ministry's pamphlet highlights concerns over app developer fees as high as 30% and "digital tolls" that consumers pay invisibly for services like music streaming and gaming.

The PL does not deal with content, but rather with competition.

— Ministry of Finance pamphletThe pamphlet clarifies the bill's scope, responding to concerns about freedom of expression.

Crucially, the government asserts that the bill focuses solely on competition and does not involve content moderation, censorship, or interference with freedom of expression. The document also points to similar regulations in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan. It further suggests the bill could safeguard the future of Brazil's Pix payment system by reducing risks of platform-imposed payment restrictions.

While the bill is a priority for the economic team, it is not seen as such by the political wing of the government, with the presidential palace prioritizing legislation on misogyny and artificial intelligence.

The project does not moderate content, does not create a censorship mechanism, nor does it interfere with freedom of expression.

— Ministry of Finance pamphletThe document explicitly addresses and refutes claims that the bill would limit free speech.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Folha de S.Paulo in Portuguese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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