
Number of LATAM projects between January 2024 and July 2024
COUNTRIES | PROJECTS | |
---|---|---|
ARGENTINA | 10 | |
BRAZIL | 14 | |
CHILE | 4 | |
COLOMBIA | 2 | |
ECUADOR | 1 | |
GUATEMALA | 1 | |
MEXICO | 13 | |
PARAGUAY | — | |
PERU | 12 |
Topics of the bills presented between January 2024 and April 2024
Access to information | 17.2% | |
Equality and non-discrimination | 11.0% | |
Protection of minors | 10.0% | |
Freedom of expression | 7.2% | |
Reputation and honor | 5.3% | |
National security | 4.5% |
Gender Violence | 4.0% | |
Liability of intermediaries | 2.9% | |
Internet access | 2.7% | |
Pornography | 2.1% | |
Apologia | 1.9% | |
Bullying | 1.5% | |
Official advertising | 1.4% |
Topics of the bills presented between January 2024 and April 2024
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% |
08/07
Senator Antonio J. Rodas proposed the Bill No. S-1193/2024, which aims to establish the scope of freedom of expression, the circulation of information and the exchange of data on social networks. In this sense, the bill regulates, among other things, the deletion of content by the owners or administrators of social networks, in certain cases, such as when there is a court order, in the face of the commission of an obvious crime and indubitable, or at the justified request of a third party who alleges that their very personal rights have been affected.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
08/07
The Inter-American Press Society (IAPA), a non-profit entity dedicated to the defense and promotion of freedom of the press and expression in the Americas, is pronounced critically about President Javier Milei's attacks against journalists and the media.
Among these attacks, it is mentioned that the president called journalists critical of his government as "liars", "slanderers", "corrupt", "imbeciles" and "overstuffed". Likewise, it is reported that, in some cases, these journalists have been denied access to the headquarters of the Presidency and other State offices.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
09/07
The president of the Temporary Internal Commission on Artificial Intelligence (CTIA), Senator Carlos Viana (Vamos/MG), postponed the vote of the bill 2338/2023, which proposes regulating artificial intelligence in Brazil. The vote was scheduled for 04.07, but Viana postponed it until 09.07/XNUMX. On July 08, 2024, the Coalition for Network Rights (CDR) published an open letter “Defending Brazilian AI legislation that projects rights”, in which he defends the approval of Bill 2338/2023. The letter points out the need for human rights-based regulation and highlights how Bill 2338/2023 adopts a risk- and rights-focused approach. The letter also criticizes the resistance of the private sectors to regulation and defends that it is not antagonistic to innovation.
SURVEILLANCE
09/07
Senator Angelo Coronel (PSD/BA) presented bill 2804/2024, which proposes rules for the regulation and supervision of Internet application providers. The project modifies the Civil Framework of the Internet, General Telecommunications Law and General Data Protection Lawas well as a 9.998 / 2000, which creates the Fund for Universalization of Telecommunications Services (FUST). The bill stipulates that the National Telecommunications Agency (ANATEL) and the National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) will be responsible for regulating and supervising the operation of Internet application services, and establishes the objectives of this regulation. The proposal also stipulates that 5% of the gross operating income of digital platform operators be allocated to FUST. In its justification, the senator affirms that both Anatel and the ANPD have the technical competence to regulate and supervise the platforms and points out the need for a financial contribution from providers in Brazil.
SURVEILLANCE
08/07
Representative Jorge Goetten (Republicans/SC) proposed bill 2766/2024, which would force platforms to issue a warning message about the risks of social networks for the mental health of children and adolescents. The bill includes article 21-A of the Civil Framework of the Internet, which obliges application providers that make available content generated by third parties to "display, at each user access, in a clear, visible and conspicuous manner, a warning message to their users about the risks of using these applications, especially for children and adolescents. The bill defines the message like this: “Attention parents and guardians, the use of social networks can be harmful to the mental health of children and adolescents”. In his justification, the deputy alleges that there is research that demonstrates the potential harm of the use of social networks, especially for children and adolescents.
SURVEILLANCE
28/06
Federal Judge Pablo Zuniga Dourado, of the Federal Regional Court of the 1st Region, ordered the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel) to block fixed-odds betting sites that operate without a license in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The decision came after an appeal against a decision of the 13th Federal Court of the Federal District, in which the Rio de Janeiro State Lottery (LOTERJ) requested that Anatel order internet providers to suspend the betting sites they operate. without state authorization. In the first instance, the court argued that it was not the function of the State to regulate agents without a state license and stated that the LOTERJ had no authority to require that websites be blocked without a specific court order, rejecting the request. In an appeal to the lower court, LOTERJ asked Anatel to block sites that were operating illegally. The trial judge in the second instance case argued that states have jurisdiction to regulate fixed-odds betting sites and that the 14.790 / 2023 -which regulates sports betting- requires authorization for the provision of lottery services. The request was partially granted by the relator, authorizing Anatel to verify the operational legitimacy of the betting sites mentioned by LOTERJ in its initial request.
MEDIA REGULATION
23/07
He settled on Bill 35/24 (Senate), which modifies the Public Library Law (Law 1379 of 2010) to strengthen national library services and promote universal access to information, culture and education. To achieve this, the project proposes increasing tax incentives for donations and improving library infrastructure and services around the country.
19/07
He settled on Bill 17/24 (Chamber of Representatives), which seeks to regulate and promote citizen participation affected and potentially affected by the development of exploration and exploitation projects of non-renewable natural resources. For these purposes, the project creates participation mechanisms to deliberate and decide on the execution and development of these projects.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
07/07
The Journalists from Todo en Contra (Carlos Pérez) and Contraportada (Víctor Castillo) and the activist (Dante Álvarez) were arrested. by elements of the Secretariat of Security of the State of Mexico during the coverage of social protests in that entity. Both reporters indicated that they were not immediately made available to the competent authority. That same day, the journalists in the presence of their lawyer, the Human Rights Commission of the State of Mexico and the Mechanism for the Comprehensive Protection of Journalists and Human Rights Defenders, the medical examiner confirmed that there was no evidence of consumption of narcotics and also had injuries to his forearm. Although both journalists were released, they are accused of crimes against health and damage to property owned by the State of Mexico. The authorities of the State of Mexico announced that the reasons for the arrest were for painting and consuming drugs and that none of them were carrying out journalistic work. Therefore, on July 12, 2024, the organization Article 19 condemned the arrests and demanded that the Secretariat of Citizen Security investigate the personnel who arrested these journalists; It also asks you to eradicate any practice that violates the rights of journalists and to refrain from issuing speeches that criminalize journalistic work. And, it also requested the Prosecutor's Office of the State of Mexico and the State Human Rights Commission to initiate the corresponding investigations, while the Mechanism for the Comprehensive Protection of Journalists and Human Rights Defenders asks it to continue with the protection measures for ensure the safety of these people.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
ACCESS TO INFORMATION
07/07
El columnist Ulrich Richter wrote in his column about the resolution of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation in which it declared the constitutionality of the extrajudicial mechanism that forces providers of digital communication services to immediately and without hindrance remove or disable access to materials in your system or networks.
ACCESS TO INFORMATION MEDIA REGULATION
03/07
At the call of the Senator Alejandra Lagunes Soto Ruíz, the National Alliance for Artificial Intelligence presented in the Senate the “RAM”, a tool for diagnosing the implementation of the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, adopted by 193 member nations of the United Nations Organization for Human Rights. Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) in 2021.
01/07
The organization Article 19 condemned the murder of the Director of Realities and collaborator of Radio Formula (Víctor Alfonso Culebro Morales), as well as the journalist of Digital Noticias and Rotativo Digital Guanajuato (Víctor Manuel Jiménez Campos). These journalists were covering acts of corruption, and the Special Prosecutor's Office for Attention to Crimes committed against Freedom of Expression of the Attorney General's Office of the Republic was urged to bring both cases in accordance with its functions, and also coordinate with the Attorney General's Office of the State of Chiapas and Guanajuato the due continuity of the investigations initiated by it under the Approved Protocol for the Investigation of Crimes Against Freedom of Expression. Likewise, the State Commission for Victims of Guanajuato and Chiapas was requested to provide the necessary support to the families of the journalists, and the Mechanism for the Protection of Defenders and Journalists, together with the Governments of Guanajuato and Chiapas, to coordinate protective actions to guarantee the safety of family members.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
30/06
La Senator Alejandra Lagunes Soto Ruíz presented an initiative to reform the Federal Telecommunications and Broadcasting Law, to establish mechanisms with which Internet users can report violations of network neutrality, and for the corresponding authority to periodically report on the status of that principle.
MEDIA REGULATION
16/06
The political analyst John Ackerman posted on social media that his house was raided. Although the analyst pointed out that the Mexico City Journalist Protection Mechanism provided timely attention, he presumes that the Mexico City Attorney General's Office leaked images from inside his house because they were distributed on platform on June 20 of that same year. For this reason, on June 25, the organization Article 19 condemned the events and demanded that the Special Prosecutor's Office for the Attention of Crimes committed against Freedom of Expression to bring the case in accordance with its functions and investigate the events in accordance with the Protocol. Approved for Crimes Against Freedom of Expression. Likewise, he demanded that the Mexico City Attorney General's Office open an internal investigation into the possible leak of information from the investigator's case.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
22/07
The parliamentary group “National Concertation Magisterial Block” presented the bill No. 08450/2023-CR, which seeks to order the pre-publication of general regulatory projects at least 30 days before their official publication in the newspaper El Peruano or other legal and institutional media, with the objective of allowing citizen participation through review and issuance of opinions.
ACCESS TO INFORMATION
17/07
The National Association of Journalists of Peru (ANP) rejection the conduct of the Minister of the Interior, Juan José Santiváñez Antúnez, who together with his father, a retired colonel, sent notarized letters to journalists Ricardo Velazco Herrera and César Hildebrandt of the weekly “Hildebrandt en sus Trece.” The letters were sent after the publication of the report "Alejandro Soto: Denied Relations," which includes statements by a confessed drug trafficker about the alleged participation of Santiváñez and his father in a money laundering scheme in 2005. The minister and his father accused journalists denigrated his image and demanded immediate rectification. Santiváñez reiterated in a press conference that he will sue the journalists for defamation, calling the report documents false. The ANP reminded the minister that public figures are subject to social scrutiny and that journalists cited third parties, exempting them from responsibility according to the doctrine of faithful reporting.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
12/07
The National Association of Journalists of Peru (ANP) rejection the instrumentalization of the justice system by the president of Congress, Alejandro Soto Reyes, who has filed complaints for aggravated defamation against journalists Yessica Bazalar Sequeiros and Carlos Carrillo Berveño for issuing critical opinions about his parliamentary performance. The congressman demands civil compensation of one hundred thousand soles, arguing that Bazalar's comments affect his life project.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
28/06
The Institute of Press and Society (IPYS) reported that the president of Congress, Alejandro Soto, through attorney Manuel Eduardo Peña, denounced journalist José Miguel Hidalgo, from the América Televisión channel, for the crime against public tranquility in the regulation modality. The complaint is based on the report “Alejandro Soto: Negated Relationships,” which revealed Soto's romantic relationship with a woman whose sister was hired in her office without the appropriate credentials. Soto alleges that the journalist exposed his son and his mother, revealing personal information such as his address. IPYS and the Peruvian Press Council They denounced that this is an act of intimidation against the press and asked that the Public Ministry reject the congressman's complaint as an attempt to criminalize freedom of expression.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
21/06
The Institute of Press and Society (IPYS) alerted that journalist Marco Calderón and cameraman Felipe Díaz from the Canal N news team were pushed away by the municipal security of the mayor of Lima, Rafael López Aliaga, while they were trying to ask him questions about his management during an inauguration event.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
10/07
En Audience Before the IACHR, civil society organizations expressed their concern about the situation of freedom of expression in Guatemala. Among other facts, they reported that more than six journalists have had to leave the country because they are victims of harassment and threats. The case of journalist Laura Rojas, who was harassed for her journalistic investigative work, was particularly highlighted.
Through a Press release, the IACHR announced that it will carry out a visit in situ to the State of Guatemala from July 22 to 26.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
09/07
The Senate of Paraguay approved a bill of law by which non-profit organizations are required to publish the detailed expenses of their activities every six months, as well as to record their sources of financing in their statutes. This law has been qualified as "contrary in many aspects to the international human rights standards that Paraguay has subscribed to, especially those that protect the rights to freedom of association and expression”. This, as it could allow excessive control over said entities, threatening their independence and putting the safety of their members at risk.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
09/07
The Union of Journalists of Paraguay, through a statement in its social media, spoke about the verbal attacks and threats that members of the Senate made against journalists and activists, within the framework of the debate on the Law on the control of NGOs (mentioned above).
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION ACCESS TO INFORMATION MEDIA REGULATION