Google has published an open letter to complain about a proposed law to tackle the spread of misinformation in Brazil, arguing that the bill could have many negative consequences.
Signed by the president of Google Brazil, Fabio Coelho, the letter released on Friday (12) criticizes project introduced in 2020aims to regulate platforms with more than 2 million users, who will be responsible for creating rules and mechanisms to identify content that could be seen as blatantly false.
“We recognize the importance of debating solutions to this issue, but we are concerned that Congress is doing so without considering the negative and undesirable consequences that the bill may have.” can bring,” Coelho argued.
The executive added that the project has yet to be voted on by Congress, which could actually make it easier for those who want to spread misinformation. It also introduces barriers to the media’s ability to access content, he said, making Google services less useful and safer for users and limiting the ability of Google’s users to access content. smaller companies in promoting their services online.
The rules Google needs to follow, such as disclosing details about how the company’s systems work, include details of the system’s training facilities and methods used to improve it. services, tracking violations and taking enforcement action, would “dramatically reduce Google’s ability to do so, Coelho said. Complying with the rules, he added, would “make search engines less secure” safer for everyone and more vulnerable to abuse and fraud.”
The head of Google Brazil argued that disclosing the details outlined in the proposal would not help tackle misinformation: instead, it would provide malicious actors with an “instruction” on how to bypass it. through the protection of the company’s systems, compromising the quality and security of search results. “With this, they can manipulate this information to get a better position in our search rankings, harming those who produce relevant and trustworthy content,” Coelho said. added.
Other internet giants such as Meta, Twitter and Mercado Livre have expressed concern about Brazil’s proposed law to tackle fake news: in a joint letter published at the end of February, the companies were criticized the bill on the grounds that it could “restrict people’s access to diverse and diverse sources of information; discourage platforms from taking steps to maintain a healthy online environment; and negative impact on millions of small and medium businesses looking to connect with their consumers through advertising and digital services”.
