Brazilian Superior Electoral Court Order under Investigation by US House Legal Committee: Protecting Freedom of Expression Abroad

On Wednesday night, the United States House Legal Committee released a report on their investigation into orders from Federal Supreme Court (STF) Minister Alexandre de Moraes. The committee sent a document to the American government, requesting an investigation into whether President Joe Biden from the Democratic Party collaborated with censorship in Brazil, particularly on social media platform X, and what actions are being taken to promote freedom of expression abroad.

In the document addressed to Uzra Zeya, Undersecretary of State for Civil Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, the committee mentioned that they are looking into whether the US Executive Branch worked with companies to censor legal speech. They also investigated how governments in other countries, including Brazil, attempted to censor online speech.

Recent reports have indicated that Brazil had blocked certain accounts on social media platform X due to government concerns about disinformation. Brazilian judge Alexandre de Moraes began an investigation into X after it refused to comply with censorship demands. X claimed that they were being compelled by court decisions to block popular accounts in Brazil.

The committee requested the Biden administration to provide all documents and communications related to orders issued by the Brazilian Superior Electoral Court (TSE) and STF to suspend or remove accounts on social media platforms. They also asked for a report from experts on what actions the State Department should take in response to attacks on freedom of expression in Brazil.

The Biden administration has until the 30th of this month to provide the requested information.