Brazil opens investigation against Google and Meta for “abuse of dominant position”

According to official sources, Brazilian authorities opened an investigation against U.S. technology companies Google and Meta for alleged “abuse of dominant position” in the discussion on the fake news project being held in the country’s Congress.

The General Superintendence of the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (Cade), Brazil’s antitrust body and linked to the Ministry of Justice, announced that it opened a preliminary investigation procedure against Google and Meta for alleged “abuse of dominant position” in the discussion on the fake news project.

The preliminary procedure aims to investigate the two companies’ position in treating the text to combat disinformation and hate speech in the networks being processed in the Brazilian Congress.

The Cade was based on allegations that Google and Meta (which controls Facebook) would misuse social networks to campaign against the project.

“The Cade is vigilant and seeks to combat violations of the economic order in digital markets,” the agency said in a statement.

At the end of the investigations, companies may receive sanctions, such as fines.

In recent days, and until early Tuesday afternoon, Google’s home page displayed the message: “The PL of fake news can increase confusion about what is true or false in Brazil”.

By clicking on the text, the user was taken to an April 27 article against the bill. The text does not report Google’s interest in the subject. This article has a link to another one, called “How PL 2.630 can make your internet worse”.

Previously, the National Secretariat of Consumer Affairs (Senacon), also linked to the Ministry of Justice, ordered Google to declare as “advertising” the contents produced and published by the company with criticism of the fake news bill.

Judge Alexandre de Moraes, from the Federal Supreme Court (STF), ordered the Federal Police to listen to the representatives of the social networks.