President says that the virtual environment has become “toxic”, defends regulation for platforms and states that digital ECA is just the 1st step
The president (PT) criticized big techs by stating that, “without rules, they will create digital colonialism”. The statement was made this Friday (April 17, 2026), in Barcelona, during a meeting with the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez (PSOE, left).
“Our data is mined, monetized and used to concentrate political and economic power in the hands of a handful of billionaires”stated the PT member.
The president once again defended the expansion of platform regulation and cited ECA Digital as the “first step that we need to take for many other issues”. The , signed in March 2026, regulates security measures for children and adolescents on social networks.
When justifying the need to expand the regulation of social networks, Lula stated that Brazil needs to protect sovereignty and avoid external interference, especially in an election year. “We now need to regulate everything digital, so that we give sovereignty to our country and do not even allow interference from outside”these.
The PT member defended that Brazil and Spain invest in digital sovereignty. He said that the two countries will promote cooperation between the National Supercomputing Center in Barcelona and the National Scientific Computing Laboratory (LNCC), in Brazil, for the development of joint projects in artificial intelligence and other areas. “It’s a problem for humanity”he stated.
Lula also criticized what he called “lying industry”. These: “It is not possible to treat as normal and as freedom of expression the industry of lies, the transmission of hate, verbal violence and disinformation, as it has been happening on the planet. It is not possible”.
