Why is Google stonewalling regulation in Brazil? | Natalia Viana

As dozens of countries debate adopting greater regulation, the tech giants are growing aggressive

On Monday, 1 May, Brazilians were surprised when they went to the Google homepage. Under the familiar search field, a link said: The fake news bill can make your internet worse." Whoever clicked on the link was taken to a Google blog that criticized draft law 2630, which was to be voted on Brazilian Congress the next day.

The search homepage, used by more than 90% of 160 million internet users in Brazil, also claimed in another link that the fake news bill can create confusion about what is true and what is a lie in Brazil".

Natalia Viana is an executive director of the Brazilian investigative journalism outlet Agencia Publica. She has worked on investigations as part of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and her work has been featured in the New York Times, Foreign Policy, the Nation and the BBC