The minister of the (Supreme Federal Court) stated this Monday (18) that the regulation of social networks and the end of impunity against hate crimes are the path to the return of democratic normality in Brazil.
The statements were made a week before the Supreme Court judges actions that could overturn sections of the Civil Rights Framework — a judgment considered the most important of the court’s semester.
“For us to return to democratic normality, it is necessary to have regulation [das redes sociais] and the end of this impunity. There has never been any sector in the history of humanity that affects many people and has not been regulated”, said Moraes at a seminar at the Mato Grosso Assembly.
The minister spoke for 20 minutes on the topic “The STF and the crisis of democracy: reflections and responses”.
He gave a history of the growth of social networks and cited studies that indicate the possible deliberate use of algorithms on platforms to target economic and political interests.
“Is it social media’s fault? No, they don’t think. Those who think are the humans behind social media, who, without any transparency in the algorithms, aim to captivate and brainwash people, generating this environment of hate,” he said. .
Moraes said that there is difficulty in regulating social networks because big techs “make money economically” and have the “greatest political and geopolitical power in history.”
“We who believe in democracy — and it doesn’t matter if it is liberal, progressive, conservative — cannot allow this continuation of manipulation against democratic ideals,” he said.
The Supreme Court will begin judging six cases related to social media on November 27th. The main focus of the discussions is on article 19 of the Marco Civil da Internet, on the possibility of platforms being held responsible for criminal content disseminated by third parties.
The ministers will also hold discussions on the possibility of blocking platforms by court decision and on content moderation on the networks.
The expectation is that the Supreme Court will promote changes to the Marco Civil da Internet similar to what was being discussed within the scope of a bill on the regulation of social networks.
(PC do B-SP), the proposal ended and threats to parliamentarians.
The event at the Legislative Assembly of Mato Grosso, in the capital Cuiabá, celebrated the 35th anniversary of the state’s constitution. Ministers Alexandre de Moraes, Flávio Dino and Gilmar Mendes were honored during the ceremony.
In one of the opening speeches, Gilmar Mendes said that the creation of the fake news inquiry at the Supreme Court was the result of long conversations between him, Moraes and Dias Toffoli. The investigation was opened ex officio by Toffoli in 2019, who handed the report to Moraes.
“It’s very easy to be a finished construction engineer, but I can say that Brazil would certainly be different — and worse — if it weren’t for this establishment, if it weren’t for this appointment by Minister Alexandre and if it weren’t for his role in leading the investigation,” said Gilmar.
The minister also said that Alexandre was crucial to avoiding a coup d’état in 2022, especially through the conduct of the TSE (Superior Electoral Court).
“Everyone knows that the intention was to disrupt the electoral process and justify some form of outbreak or coup. And this was avoided thanks to this defiant action by Minister Alexandre”, he stated.
