President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a decree expanding the liability of digital platforms to combat online violence against women [1].
The move represents a significant shift in how Brazil regulates the internet. By imposing stricter duties on big-tech companies, the government aims to reduce the prevalence of gender-based violence on social media and modernize the country's digital legal landscape.
President Lula signed the decree on May 20, 2024 [1]. The announcement took place during an event commemorating 100 days of the Brazil Against Femicide program [2]. This program focuses on reducing the systemic violence and killing of women across the country.
The decree specifically seeks to update the Marco Civil da Internet, which serves as the foundational legal framework for internet use in Brazil [1]. Under the new measures, digital platforms will face expanded responsibility for the content hosted on their services. This is intended to ensure that companies take more proactive steps to remove harmful content, and protect users from harassment.
Government officials said that the updated framework is necessary to address the evolving nature of online threats. The decree links the technical responsibility of platforms directly to the broader social goal of eradicating femicide and gender-based aggression [1].
By increasing the legal risks for platforms that fail to act, the administration intends to force big-tech companies to implement more effective moderation tools. This approach marks a departure from more permissive interpretations of platform liability that have previously shielded tech firms from legal consequences for user-generated content [1].
“President Lula signed a decree expanding the liability of digital platforms to combat online violence against women.”
This decree signals Brazil's intent to move toward a more regulated digital environment where platforms are no longer passive hosts. By tying internet regulation to the fight against femicide, the government is treating online harassment as a precursor to physical violence, potentially setting a legal precedent for how other nations link digital liability to public safety and human rights.
