
Number of LATAM projects as of October 2022
COUNTRIES | PROJECTS | |
---|---|---|
ARGENTINA | 7 | |
BRAZIL | 28 | |
CHILE | 3 | |
COLOMBIA | 14 | |
ECUADOR | 2 | |
GUATEMALA | - | |
MEXICO | 13 | |
PARAGUAY | 2 | |
PERU | 2 |
Topics bills presented between August 2021 and October 2022
Access to information | 6.9% | |
Bullying | 10.3% | |
Apologia | 5.2% | |
Freedom of expression | 8.6% | |
Equality and non-discrimination | 17.2% | |
Internet Access | 1.7% |
Privacy | 1.7% | |
Protection of minors | 15.5% | |
Reputation and honor | 5.2% | |
Content moderation | 5.2% | |
Gender Violence | 5.2% | |
Indigenous rights | 3.4% | |
Fake News | 1.7% |
Topics bills presented between August 2021 and October 2022
Access to information | 4.8% | |
Bullying | 9.5% | |
Apologia | 4.8% | |
Freedom of worship | 1.6% | |
Equality and non-discrimination | 15.9% | |
Official advertising | 4.8% | |
Fake News | 1.6% | |
Protection of minors | 14.3% | |
Reputation and honor | 4.8% | |
Content moderation | 4.8% |
19/10
Politics Patricia Bullrich claimed responsibility for the military action of Julio Argentino Roca, who was in charge of exterminating the indigenous community of Argentina. He expressed through twitter that "The anniversary of the death of Julio Argentino Roca makes the figure of the builder of an orderly, prosperous and open Argentina to the world we dream of bigger", unleashing outrage on social networks for underestimating the violence against these communities.
HATE SPEECH APOLOGY
22/09
The TSE orders Instagram and TikTok to eliminate misinformation about the "gay kit". The Superior Electoral Court (TSE), by majority, determined that the platforms Instagram and TikTok eliminate disinformation content about the distribution of "gay kit" in schools. The decision refers to the posts, made in August 2022, that recover videos of the 2018 electoral process in which Jair Bolsonaro presents a book called “Sexual apparatus and company”, under the accusation of being part of a “gay kit” distributed by the government of the Workers Party (PT) in public schools brazilian. The posts were questioned by the Brasil Feliz de Novo federation, the main political front for Lula's candidacy. The federation argued that the information transmitted has already been classified as false, both by Instagram and by fact-checking agencies, and that the video was intended to "attack PT opponents during the electoral contest." The TSE has already examined another representation, in which it "rejected the (false) association of the video material with the PT administrations of the Ministry of Education". Some judges argued that the content allows the voter to "critically assess the possibly homophobic stance" of Jair Bolsonaro. However, the winning vote determined the exclusion of the posts on both platforms, arguing that, in this case, "there is no restriction on the exercise of freedom of information" because you cannot "disregard the truth in order to promote a highly discriminatory discourse."
ELECTIONS DISINFORMATION
23/09
André Mendonça suspends the decision that prevented the disclosure of reports on the properties of the Bolsonaro family. The court Supreme Court (STF), ordered the suspension of a decision that prevented the disclosure of news about the 51 properties of the Bolsonaro family bought in cash. The decision is due to a complaint from the UOL portal, responsible for the popularization of the story. The reports stated that, of 107 properties purchased since 1990 by the family of President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), 51 were allegedly paid in cash (totalling nearly 26 million reais, adjusted for inflation). The plaintiffs argued that the withdrawal of the case It was a censorship that restricted the free exercise of journalistic activity, violating the jurisprudence of the STF. Minister André Mendonça, indicated by President Bolsonaro, recognized that the decision to withdraw the content did not comply with the understanding of the Superior Federal Court on the prohibition of censorship and the protection of information, stating: "Brazilians of all political and ideological spectrums must be assured of the broad exercise of freedom of expression." Therefore, the suspension of the effects of the judicial decision was determined.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION FREEDOM OF THE PRESS
24/09
Crimes against the governor of Paraná for disinformation using official channels. The Federation Brasil de la Esperanza filed a criminal complaint with the Regional Electoral Court of Paraná (TRE-PR) against the Governor of the State of Paraná, Ratinho Junior, and other state officials, alleging the use of official government channels to shoot dough. The criminal complaint states that the Paraná Artificial Intelligence (PIA) and Detran-PR services would be used to trigger SMS messages “asking for the vote for Jair Bolsonaro and calling the population to invade the National Congress and the Supreme Court in case of electoral defeat«. The Federation alleges the crimes of using government service for the benefit of a political party or organization and attempting to abolish the democratic rule of law, preventing or restricting the exercise of constitutional powers. They also alleged the practice of abuse of political power and the violation of the General Data Protection Law. Governor Ratinho Junior blamed the telecommunications outsourcing company Algar Telecom for the incident. Algar Telecom said that the person responsible had been one of its employees, whose identity it reported to the Electoral Justice.
ELECTIONS DISINFORMATION PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION
26/09
Bill seeks to fine those who spread or share misinformation. Deputy José Nelto (PP/GO) presented in the House of Representatives the Bill no. 2516/2022, which establishes an "administrative sanction for those who spread false information." The text presented establishes that, “except for legal or constitutional authorizations”, it is prohibited to disclose or share, by any means, information that is “knowingly false, harmfully incomplete, that alters, corrupts or distorts the truth, to the detriment of a natural or legal person, that affects the relevant public interest or that has the purpose of obtaining an advantage of any nature. If a person falls into any of these categories, the bill provides a fine of three minimum wages. The bill also provides for the doubling of the fine if the offender is a public official or in case of recidivism, and quadrupling of the fine if the infraction is committed by a public official with funds from the public body where he works. Finally, the bill provides for the creation of a Fund to Fight False Information, which will collect resources from sanctions and allocate them to the fight against the spread of disinformation.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION DISINFORMATION
02/10
Justice continues with the daily decisions to block disinformation publications about the two presidential candidates. The Superior Electoral Court (TSE) determined a fine for not eliminating the misinformation about the association between the candidate Lula (PT) and Marcola, head of the criminal organization First Command of the Capital (PCC). Disinformation was spread by various channels and people, including President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and his children. The determination, however, was not followed by some of those represented. El TSE summoned the Twitter and Gettr platforms to immediately suspend 12 links within 1 hour, under penalty of a fine of R$ 100.000,00 per hour of non-compliance. In the same week, the TSE ordered the suspension of the electoral propaganda that associated Jair Bolsonaro (PL) with cannibalism. The complaint called for the suspension of an electoral advertisement that showed a video of Bolsonaro stating that he had participated in a ceremony in which an indigenous community cooked the remains of one of its members for consumption. Bolsonaro stated in the video that "he wanted to see how they cooked the man" and that "he would eat an Indian without problems". The representatives argued that the speech was taken out of context. The TSE agreed with the representation, in the sense that "the contested electoral propaganda presents the cut of a certain fragment of an interview granted by the representative candidate, capable of configuring a serious decontextualization", and determined the immediate suspension of the advertising campaign .
ELECTIONS DISINFORMATION
20/10
The TSE approves a resolution to make the fight against disinformation in the electoral process more effective. The TSE approved a resolution that established new guidelines for combating disinformation in the context of the 2022 elections. Among other innovations, the device authorizes the extension of the decision to remove content in cases identical to others previously removed, as well as authorizes the suspension of profiles that spread lies on social networks and of the platforms, in case they do not comply with the judicial decision.
ELECTIONS DISINFORMATION
02/10
Pablo Iglesias, the former leader of the Podemos party and close to Boric, proposed nationalizing a third of the press in Chile, another third to the unions, civil society organizations and another third "to the millionaires of always". His argument is to affirm that the media are ideological apparatuses whose purpose is to prioritize the topics of discussion and become essential political actors. The organization Foundation for Progress manifested that this type of proposal would put freedom of expression at risk by putting information according to political interests.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION FREEDOM OF THE PRESS ACCESS TO INFORMATION
04/10
On October 4, the Colombian Senate filed the bill 210/22 that seeks to establish protection and compensation mechanisms for those reporting acts of administrative corruption and other provisions are issued. The project proposes labor protection (job stability and relocation if necessary), economic and legal protection ("subsidies" in the event that the complainant is immersed in facts subject to investigation). The project was presented by congressmen from the Cambio Radical party.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION FREEDOM OF THE PRESS
17/10
On October 17, the journalist and social leader was assassinated in Montelíbano, Córdoba. Rafael Emir Moreno. Moreno was the director of Voces de Córdoba, a digital medium where he made journalistic complaints about corruption and the actions of illegal armed groups. According to the Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP), Moreno had been the victim of threats since 2019. In July 2022, FLIP asked the National Protection Unit (UNP) to reinforce its protection scheme after the journalist received two new threats. However, the UNP decided not to make any changes. According to FLIP, Moreno's murder is the first to occur despite the fact that the journalist had protection measures from the State.
VIOLENCE AGAINST JOURNALISTS
26/10
The case of the porn actress advances in the Constitutional Court Esperanza Gomez against Instagram. In July, the media reported that the Constitutional Court would study a tutela action filed by the actress against the platform for the deleting your account. In October it was learned that the Court convened a thematic session to discuss, among other things, freedom of expression, gender and the functioning of digital platforms.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION CONTENT MODERATION
05/10
The Constitutional Court of Ecuador agrees 12 of the 18 objections for unconstitutionality presented by President Guillermo Lasso on the "Gag Law". An applauded decision because it seeks to protect freedom of expression and the press. One of the articles questioned and objected to by President Lasso is article 17, through which he states that the State must guarantee "the right to the truth" and prohibits the "dissemination of all false information." The objection is based on the concepts given by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and on constitutional rulings arguing that "the State cannot lend itself to being a "truth policeman"... it cannot say what information is true and what is false, for For the same reason, the State cannot give powers to a state agency to initiate actions against media outlets for information that it has described as true or false.” Faced with this, civil society organizations have shown great help to the high court with the expectation that the right to freedom of expression will be protected.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION ACCESS TO INFORMATION FREEDOM OF THE PRESS
08/10
The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) condemned the attack suffered by the television channel RTS and the threats against the director of the newspaper Extra, Galo Martínez Leisker. The attack was carried out by two individuals who were traveling on a motorcycle, captured by security cameras where several shots were seen against the access door to the channel and the deposit of pamphlets with death threats.
FREEDOM OF THE PRESS VIOLENCE AGAINST JOURNALISTS
24/10
Journalists in Ecuador they denounce increased violence against them by drug gangs. Government authorities and other civil organizations that work to defend freedom of expression have shown concern over recent attacks against journalists.
FREEDOM OF THE PRESS VIOLENCE AGAINST JOURNALISTS
24/10
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights learned about the cases of attacks on the press in Guatemala. I know exposed on the harassment, persecution, aggression and criminalization against the informative work of the journalists. In addition to this, the issue of attempts to regulate freedom of expression through bills that directly violate this right was raised. Among these initiatives are the "Cybercrime Prevention and Protection Law", the "Law for the Strengthening of the Public Security Forces and the Guatemalan Army" and the discussion on the inter-institutional cooperation agreement with the armed institution to provide security in the 2023 elections signed by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION ACCESS TO INFORMATION VIOLENCE AGAINST JOURNALISTS
29/09
The portal of latinus news, announced that the Mexican armed forces were hacked by the group calling itself Guacamaya and from the information revealed, it is confirmed that the Mexican government has lied on various issues.
PRIVACY
10/10
The organization Article 19 participated in the presentation of the report Towards a regulation of official advertising in Mexico which was done in coordination with the Thomson Reuters Foundation, which included the investigation of seven countries, including Mexico.
OFFICIAL ADVERTISING ACCESS TO INFORMATION
12/10
The organization Article 19 warned of the use of the crime of gender-based political violence to silence public debate on issues that question women who participate in public affairs. A case was filed on April 25, 2022, by federal deputy Fernanda Sodi Miranda against journalist Erick Gutiérrez before the National Electoral Institute, and was resolved on August 11 by the Electoral Court considering that there was no infraction. Another matter is related to the mention that two people benefited from candidacies in Baja California Sur, and one of them appeared in Revista H, which ended with an administrative sanction that included the elimination of journalistic notes, public apologies, taking a course on gender violence and economic fines; however, the Attorney General's Office (FGR) requested that the four journalists who disseminated the information in this case be linked to the process. Article 19 required the FGR to apply the principle of minimum intervention of criminal law.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION FREEDOM OF THE PRESS
On October 3, 4, 5 and 12, 2022, organizations such as Article 19, R3D, among others, have issued various statements in follow-up to the #EspíaArmy investigation. In the first of the announcements affirms that there are indications that the President of the Human Rights Committee of Nuevo Laredo; the journalist and writer Ricardo Raphael; and a journalist from Animal Politico were spied on by the Mexican army with the Pegasus malware. The second conviction the statements of the President of Mexico in which the investigation is questioned and seeks to delegitimize the two journalists who were spied on. The third reaffirms that the Ministry of National Defense has not refuted the concealment of the contracting of the Remote Information Monitoring Service that is carried out through the Pegasus malware, and questions referring to espionage tasks as "intelligence", considering that they do not have legal powers for interception of private communications. And the fourth rejects the pronouncements made against the #EspíaArmy investigation that were carried out in the government dissemination section Who is who in the lies? and insists that the information on this issue must be made transparent.
VIOLENCE AGAINST JOURNALISTS SURVEILLANCE
13/10
The organization Article 19 publicized various threats that the journalist Emmanuelle Steels as a result of his book The Theater of Deception: Cassez-Vallarta, story of a montage, which was once again part of the public debate after the broadcast of the documentary The CASSEZ-VALLARTA case, A criminal novel. Thus, the organization requested the Special Prosecutor for the Attention of Crimes Committed against Freedom of Expression of the complaint filed by the journalist, and urgent measures of protection to the Federal Mechanism for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders and Journalists.
VIOLENCE AGAINST JOURNALISTS FREEDOM OF THE PRESS
18/10
The organization Article 19 demanded that the Congress of the Union abide by the resolution of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation issued on September 8, 2021, instructing them to correct deficiencies in the Social Communication Law that regulates official advertising.
OFFICIAL ADVERTISING ACCESS TO INFORMATION
The R3D organization points out that the newspaper Animal Politico broke the news that the federal deputy Agustín Basave Alanís was spied on with Pegasus between September 5 and 11, 2021.
FREEDOM OF THE PRESS SURVEILLANCE
19/10
The organization Article 19 presented the investigation Artificial Freedom: Discourse, networks and plurality in which he analyzes the human or artificial tools for content moderation with massive application, and the impact they have in relation to the rights to freedom of expression and information.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION ACCESS TO INFORMATION
06/10
The newscast "La Encerrona" published the investigation of journalist Ernesto Cabral that revealed a massive hacking of more than 200 emails to the Joint Command of the Peruvian Armed Forces. The leak, called “Guacamaya Leaks”, contemplates the hacking of the armed forces of several Latin American countries.
The head of public relations for the Peruvian Army intimidating warnings to the journalist Ernesto Cabral so that he does not reveal information that contains intelligence plans considered to be of national security, and that to do so would be to commit the crime of treason against the fatherland.
SURVEILLANCE VIOLENCE AGAINST JOURNALISTS
11/10
After the constitutional complaint filed by the Attorney General, Patricia Benavides, against the President of the Republic Pedro Castillo for leading a criminal organization, the president announced a press conference to give his defenses, but ordered that the national press be prevented from entering, giving access only to the foreign press accredited in the country.
FREEDOM OF THE PRESS
18/10
In a ceremony with hundreds of former members of the armed forces convened in the courtyard of the Government Palace, President Pedro Castillo asked his audience of former soldiers to pay attention to the journalists present, whom he accused of representing forces that they accuse and bias the information. The male and female reporters covered the event outside the Government House, where there were also Castillo supporters. One of them insulted and hit to Roberto Ramírez, journalist from Latina TV.
FREEDOM OF THE PRESS VIOLENCE AGAINST JOURNALISTS