By Lisandra Paraguassu
BRASÍLIA (Reuters) – Brazilian House Speaker Rodrigo Maia said on Tuesday that lawmakers are currently finalizing the text of a bill targeting those that finance “fake news” attacks on social media sites, adding it could be voted on by the end of this year.
The draft of the Brazilian bill was approved in the Senate on June 30, but the lower house created a working group to suggest modifications. Those changes will be finalized in two weeks, Maia said.
“(Social media) platforms will always say that they have no responsibility, but like any means of communication, they will have to create a path to responsibility too,” Maia said during a webinar organized by the Getúlio Vargas Foundation.
In the run-up to Brazil’s local elections this year, Maia, a member of a center-right party and opponent of right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, said Brazil must punish individuals who use social media to try and silence and threaten others.
Bolsonaro’s government opposes the bill.
(Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu; Writing by Ana Mano; Editing by Paul Simao)
