Former President Temer hired by Google to lobby controversial internet bill
The technology company has hired former Brazilian President Michel Temer to carry out lobbying activities with legislators who are evaluating the proposal to regulate the internet.
Former President Michel Temer/Photo Reproduction/Internet
The Google company (GOOGL.O) hired former president Michel Temer (MDB) to play a role in discussions regarding the regulation of large technology companies, as stipulated in Bill 2630, popularly known as PL das Fake News. For approximately three weeks now, Temer has been playing the role of "mediator" with parliamentarians.
The former president
The former president met with federal deputy Orlando Silva (PCdoB-SP), rapporteur of the fake news bill, in São Paulo. During the meeting, Temer presented Google's perspective in relation to the project, especially in relation to the platforms' responsibility for the content published by users. The first news about the meeting was published by Folha de São Paulo, informing that Temer confirmed his role as "mediator" between the company and the legislators. According to Temer's advisor, the former president was hired by the company to facilitate proposals and dialogues with the Brazilian parliament.
In a statement, Google said it recruits advisors and specialist consultants to help mediate dialogue efforts with public authorities, with a view to providing input to politicians and parliamentarians, especially on relevant and technical issues, such as the drafting of new legislation.
Proposal
The legislative measure, popularly called the Fake News PL, establishes the responsibility to internet companies, change search and social messaging services to detect and report illegal content, with fines issued in case of omission. This bill has raised concerns among tech companies, resulting in some campaigns being launched on their platforms to combat its implementation.
Deputy Orlando Silva informed that the report is ready to be voted on in August, when Congress resumes its activities after the parliamentary recess. According to him, all that remains is the definition of the regulatory structure responsible for monitoring compliance with the rules by large technology companies. Two options are being considered: the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) and the Brazilian Regulatory System proposed by Brazilian Bar Association (OAB).
In addition, the bill seeks to repress the expression of false information on social networks, prohibiting the use of robots or automated accounts not identified as non-human. The aim is to criminalize the use of inauthentic accounts, which do not represent real people and are used to disseminate information on a large scale.
Reviews
As described in the proposal, companies providing content on the internet, such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google and others, will be held responsible if they do not take measures to avoid the use of profiles with hate speech and continue to keep them active. The project received criticism from digital platforms.
In May, Google added a link titled "Fake News PL can increase confusion about what is true and false" on its homepage, just below the search bar. This link led to the company's position in relation to Bill 2630/2020 and contained a text signed by Marcelo Lacerda, Director of Government Relations and Public Policies at Google Brasil. The text stated that the creation of internet legislation with the potential to affect the lives of millions of Brazilians and companies on a daily basis should be carried out in a collaborative and constructive way.
