The Brazil Senate and Supreme Court have nullified rules that President Jair Bolsonaro issued last week banning social networks from removing what they judge to be disinformation about the coming presidential election.
The dual moves by the court and by Congress late Tuesday quickly killed one of the most restrictive and intrusive internet laws imposed in a democratic country. It was a sharp rebuke to a president already struggling with a series of political crises.
When Mr. Bolsonaro issued the policy, it was the first time a national government had moved to stop social media companies from taking down content that violates their rules.
The move alarmed technology companies and Mr. Bolsonaro’s political opponents because it appeared intended to enable the president and his allies to undermine confidence in next year’s presidential election.
In recent months, Mr. Bolsonaro has used social media to spread claims that the only way he will lose the election is if the vote is rigged. Such claims would have been protected under the emergency measure Mr. Bolsonaro issued last week, which gave social media companies 30 days to comply.
But in quick succession on Tuesday, the Supreme Court suspended the rules from going into effect, while the president of the Brazil Senate effectively shelved them.
“It’s a very positive sign that the Brazilian political class reacted,” said Mauricio Santoro, a professor of international relations at the State University of Rio de Janeiro. “The...
Read Full Story: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/15/world/americas/brazil-bolsonaro-social-media-ban.html
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