Brazil: Announced Federal Supreme Court investigation into Google and Telegram representatives over alleged misinformation related to Bill 2630/20

On 12 May 2023, the Federal Supreme Court of Brazil announced an investigation into the roles of management personnel in the alleged disinformation campaign by Google and Telegram against the currently debated Law on Freedom, Responsibility, and Transparency on the Internet (Bill no. 2.630/2020, known as the Fake News Bill). The request to open an investigation into the representatives of Google and Telegram was brought to the Supreme Court by the Attorney-General's Office (PGR) for using the companies' "hegemonic positions" on search platforms to influence user perceptions of the Bill. The decision by the Federal Supreme Court references to open an investigation references a study by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, which concluded that both platforms had "billions" from digital advertising at stake. Bill 2630/20 is currently being deliberated in the National Congress and aims to create mechanisms to combat the dissemination of false information on digital platforms and hold companies accountable for allowing the spread of such information.