President Jair Bolsonaro had issued rules forbidding social networks from removing many posts that the sites considered misinformation. On Tuesday, Br

Bolsonaro’s Ban on Removing Social Media Posts Is Overturned in Brazil

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2021-09-28 13:00:36

President Jair Bolsonaro had issued rules forbidding social networks from removing many posts that the sites considered misinformation. On Tuesday, Brazil’s Senate and top court killed the policy.

The Brazil Senate and Supreme Court have nullified rules that President Jair Bolsonaro issued last week banning social networks from removing what they judge to be disinformation about the coming presidential election.

The dual moves by the court and by Congress late Tuesday quickly killed one of the most restrictive and intrusive internet laws imposed in a democratic country. It was a sharp rebuke to a president already struggling with a series of political crises.

When Mr. Bolsonaro issued the policy, it was the first time a national government had moved to stop social media companies from taking down content that violates their rules.

The move alarmed technology companies and Mr. Bolsonaro’s political opponents because it appeared intended to enable the president and his allies to undermine confidence in next year’s presidential election.