🧑‍💻 Brazil rewrites the rules of the internet

SOCIAL MEDIA

Supreme Court increases social media platforms’ responsibility over user content

In a ruling that redefines the legal contours of online speech in Brazil — and could set a precedent for democratic nations worldwide — the Supreme Court has struck down key legal shields for social media companies, voting 8-3 to hold platforms more accountable for user-generated content.

Justices declared the partial unconstitutionality of Article 19 of Brazil’s 2014 Civil Rights Framework for the Internet, a provision likened to Section 230 of the US Communications Decency Act. 

The article stated that platforms like Facebook, YouTube and X could only be held accountable for damages caused by illegal third-party content if they failed to remove it after a judicial ruling. That standard is now significantly narrowed: the justices ruled the provision is only valid in cases involving defamation …

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