Brazil’s Supreme Court signs agreement to fight fake news

On Thursday (Jun. 6), Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court signed an agreement with major social media platforms to combat disinformation on the internet.

With this agreement, companies including YouTube, Google, Microsoft, Kwai, TikTok, and Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, commit to promoting educational and awareness-raising initiatives about the negative impacts of disinformation.

During the signing ceremony, the president of the court, Justice Luís Roberto Barroso, stated that while freedom of expression must be protected, it is essential to combat fake news, hate speech, and attacks on democracy.

"We cannot allow a society to develop under the guise of freedom of expression where no one can trust what they see. This is the effort that unites the Federal Supreme Court and digital platforms," he stated.

Barroso also emphasized that progress in combating disinformation is impossible without the cooperation of digital platforms.

"This is an administrative partnership, focused on media education. It has no connection to any case before the Supreme Court and carries no jurisdictional implications," he added.

The agreement with the platforms is part of the Supreme Court's Program to Combat Disinformation, launched in 2021 to address illegal practices that undermine public confidence in the Court and distort its decisions.