BRASILIA (AP) — Brazil’s Justice Ministry ordered Google on Tuesday to stop what it called a propaganda campaign against a bill aimed at curbing misinformation, or face fines of about $200,000 an hour.
The company later withdrew an article that the ministry had described as propaganda, but it was not immediately clear whether Google was fully complying with the agency’s order. The ministry and Google have not responded to emailed requests for comment.
The bill, objected to by big tech companies including Google, would set fines and deadlines for removing disinformation and hate speech from social media and messaging apps, and would force tech companies to file transparency reports.
The government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva says regulating online speech is essential following the recent wave of deadly attacks on schools that authorities say were motivated by hate speech and social media forums. The bill was sent to the lower house on Friday and could be voted on this week.
On Sunday, Google posted a message on its home page arguing that the bill “could increase confusion about what is true or false in Brazil” and should be improved. The message redirected to an article written by the search engine’s public policy department listing the arguments against the bill.
Brazil’s Ministry of Justice accused Google of promoting a covert editorial position and ordered the company to promote content contrary to its position. The agency also determined that Google must clearly state that its position is propaganda and must be transparent about any interference in its search engine to links related to the bill.
The agency said the company would be fined 1 million reais an hour, or roughly $200,000, if it failed to comply with the order. Google’s message on its home page and the article were removed Tuesday after the order was published.
Brazilian lawmakers had approved a petition last week to speed up the project’s approval process in the lower house. Analysts and big tech companies criticized the move, arguing that further discussion was needed.
The bill dates back to 2020, when it was approved by the Senate under Lula’s predecessor, far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro, but has since undergone substantial modifications and become much broader. If the Chamber of Deputies approves it, the bill will return to the Senate for a final vote.
Last week, Telegram was suspended by a judge after the messaging app refused to send information about profiles spreading Nazi speech. A few days later, another decision overturned the suspension.
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Hughes reported from Rio de Janeiro.