Rousseff passes internet bill of rights

President Dilma Rousseff enacted on Wednesday (Apr. 23) a law dubbed “the Internet Bill of Rights” (Portuguese: Marco Civil da Internet) during the opening ceremony of NetMundial, a conference on the future of internet governance, held in São Paulo. The meeting gathers representatives from society and governments, as well as internet professionals and users from several countries.

The document outlines the rights and duties of internet users and service providers. Its enactment makes it easier for Brazilian citizens to have their right to privacy and free traffic of information ensured.

On her Twitter page on Tuesday (22), the president had already mentioned the defense mechanisms created on behalf of users by the new legislation: “The new Marco Civil requires telecommunications companies to treat all data packages with equality. Also, the Marco Civil makes it illegal to block, monitor, filter or analyze the content of data packages.”

Rousseff further wrote that Brazil’s legislation model for the internet might also exert influence on the global debate over ways of guaranteeing people’s rights on the web. She regarded the new law as “a fundamental step towards guaranteeing freedom, privacy and the respect for the rights of internet users.”

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira