Google says STF decision can restrict its performance in the country

Most ministers of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) voted in favor of liability for social media About User Posts. However, the measures that will guide the application of these new rules are still to detail.

A situation that worries the giants of technology, including the Google. The company supports a change, but says that, depending on how this process happens, it may end up restricting the platform’s performance in the Brazil.

Company warns of “unwanted consequences”

In an interview with Folha de São PauloGoogle’s president in Brazil, Fábio Coelho, said the company supports the proposal to include serious crimes, child exploitation and terrorism in the exceptions of article 19 of the Internet Civil Marco. This means that Big Tech agrees that platforms can be held responsible for damage as a result of content not removed after extrajudicial notification.

However, he warns of the possibility of “unwanted consequences” if there is a very broad change in the legislation. According to Coelho, this can decrease the giant’s participation in discussions that take place in Brazil, as well as encouraging greater content removal.

There is an opportunity to improve the balance between freedom of expression and liability, but we expect to preserve a fundamental principle: who should decide what is removed and what is not removed is justice and not the platforms. Our group was in dialogue with ministers of the Supreme, we are not against this change. We support the improvements that can occur as expanding exceptions to extrajudicial removals in case of severe crime, child exploitation, terrorism. But with the necessary care not to turn this into a tool that can be contrary to access to information, investigative journalism, mood.

Fábio Coelho, Google President in Brazil