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US
President Donald Trump issued an executive order that brought US
tariffs on Brazilian products to a whopping 50 per cent, citing alleged
violations of freedom of speech and _expression_ as justification. Many of
these “violations” refer to Brazil’s judicial and legislative efforts
to hold social media companies accountable for the dissemination of
disinformation on their platforms. Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
condemns this distorted vision of free speech as a pretext for punitive
trade measures.
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The executive order, issued on July 30, explicitly targets Brazilian Supreme Court (STF) decisions and legislative proposals which aim to promote reliable information and curb hate speech, disinformation, and violent content online.
However, Brazil’s approach aligns with global democratic debates on
platform and big tech regulation. Its initiatives are largely inspired
by the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and seek to close the
regulatory vacuum that has fueled the spread of dangerous content which
deliberately misinforms citizens and threatens democracy. Free speech
does not mean public discourse should be free of facts.
Rather than supporting democratic oversight, the executive order states
these measures “censor political speech,” and uses this argument as a
pretext for economic coercion to protect the commercial interests of
US-based tech giants and political allies. On July 29 — the day before
the executive order was issued — Brazilian Vice President Geraldo
Alckmin sat down with Meta, Google, Amazon, and other giant online
platforms alongside William Kimmitt, US Under Secretary of Commerce for
International Trade, in a meeting arranged as part of the broader
negotiations around the tariffs, under US pressure. The talks on content
moderation, economic incentives, and potential antitrust adjustments
illustrate how the US government is supporting Big Tech’s corporate
lobbying in Brazil. This pressure risks delaying or weakening Brazil’s
democratic effort to regulate digital platforms, which is essential to
foster reliable information and promote a healthier digital space.
“Using
free speech as a pretext for trade sanctions is both cynical and
misleading. Freedom of _expression_ does not excuse disinformation, and it
is not a shield for corporate influence. Brazil must not back off
legitimate regulatory efforts designed to strengthen the right to
reliable information and protect democratic debate online. Initiatives
to counter disinformation, hate speech, and online harm are essential to
protect journalism and democratic debate. It is also crucial that civil
society be involved in regulation discussions to prevent Big Tech from
dictating the rules of the game."
Artur Romeu
Director, RSF Latin America
A persistent narrative
On the same day the executive order was issued, the US also announced sanctions against
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, citing suppression of free
_expression_ for ordering the removal of online content, suspending social
media accounts linked to disinformation.
RSF warned about the Trump administration’s weaponization of freedom of speech and _expression_ in January and has noted how it is detrimental to
press freedom. The White House’s use of this pretext in tariffs against
Brazil marks a troubling escalation of this rhetoric.
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REPORTERS WITHOUT BORDERS / REPORTERS SANS FRONTIÈRES (RSF)
Peter Jones
Press/Communications Officer, Washington, DC Bureau
pjones@rsf.org
(202) 813-9497, ext 3
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