Lula Launches Massive Online Censorship Campaign Against 'Electoral Harassment'

The government of recently reelected socialist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva this week announced a sweeping series of social media censorship measures with the alleged intention of fighting what it called “electoral harassment” in Brazilian workplaces.

The new policies empower Brazilian institutions with the ability to demand the takedown of political content published on social media platforms that is deemed to constitute “harrasment” or “discrimination” against Brazilian workers. The Brazilian Attorney General’s office left open the possibility of potential judicial measures to “fight” said kind of online content.

The measures come just days after Lula was reelected for a fourth term after he defeated conservative Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in the October 25 runoff election. According to the Lula administration’s website, government institutions allegedly received numerous complaints from Brazilians who denounced “threats of dismissal and pressure” at their respective workplaces over their political choices. Per the government, the alleged harassment complaints were received as early as Sunday, the day of the election.

“These measures aim to protect workers’ freedom of political choice and hold employers accountable for discriminatory practices,” the Brazilian government said.

The policies are the result of the joint work of a “task force” made up of several Brazilian institutions, including the Labor and Employment Ministry, alongside the Labor Prosecutor’s Office (MPT), the Office of the Attorney General of Brazil, the Superior Labor Court (TST), the Electoral Prosecutor’s Office (MPE), and the Justice Ministry. Among the measures announced by the government are provisions to order the removal of websites, publications, and social media content that the Brazilian government deems to be promoting “persecution or discrimination for political reasons.”

The official website of the Brazilian government, however, does not provide a clear explanation of what types of content would be in violation of the policies. The government, however, specifically mentioned America’s Google and Meta as two examples of the digital corporations that would be subject to takedown notifications under the new framework, based on guidelines from the Brazilian AG’s Office. Lívia Andrade, national attorney for labor and employment, affirmed that the government will also adopt further legal measures against big tech and social media platforms on grounds that complaints of harassment “increased a lot during this post-electoral period.”

Lula had already indicated his intention to carry out more censorship of political voices online through the regulation of social media platforms in his victory speech on Sunday. The Brazilian president affirmed in his speech that his campaign had to overcome external “interference” from social media platforms, stressing, “we have to regulate them.”

“It is not possible for people not to be aware that crime in the digital world needs to be treated as crime in real life,” Lula said.

O Globo detailed on Friday that the Superior Labor Court granted a preliminary injunction from the Labor Prosecutor’s Office against Meta, giving the American tech giant a 24-hour deadline starting on Thursday night to take down posts that encourage “dismissal because of how someone voted.” Additionally, Meta’s platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, and Threads, must reportedly display “within 72 hours, and for five days” a notice stating that “discrimination based on political beliefs and electoral harassment is prohibited.”

Labor Minister Luiz Marinho stated that a “list” of employers in Brazil found to be involved in “discrimination and electoral harassment” practices will be composed. Entities found in violation of the policies could face the suspension of loans in accordance with local legislation. The Ministry has since opened an official government website to compile complaints from workers who have allegedly been harassed at their workplaces over their political stance.

Similarly, the head of the Superior Labor Court, Justice Vieira de Mello Filho, stated on Thursday that his office will also create a “blacklist” of entities engaged in the alleged politically related harassment of workers, affirming that the consequences for incurring in the yet-to-be explained practices will be “very drastic.”

“The consequences for those who are irresponsibly continuing down this path will be very severe, including restrictions on corporate financing and the possible creation of a blacklist,” Mello Filho said. “This profoundly affects Brazil’s democratic system.”

“Everyone is guaranteed the right to vote freely. No one is obligated to follow anyone else’s instructions,” he continued.

The state-owned news agency Agência Brasil detailed that the government will also carry out an awareness campaign to denounce the described “harassment” practices through Carteira de Trabalho Digital (“Digital Employment Card,”) a work-related smartphone application managed by the Brazilian government.

“The Digital Employment Card will also be used to guide workers on their rights and the procedures for filing complaints. In addition, labor inspectors will be able to identify irregularities, issue infraction notices, and take other appropriate measures,” the Brazilian government said this week.

Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.