13th Brazilian Internet Forum: Workshop on platform regulation

The influence of digital platforms on economies and societies has grown significantly. Currently, governments worldwide seek ways to develop a fair and efficient regulatory system that covers all broad aspects of the platforms’ economic activities.

This issue was the focus of the panel discussion organised by the Secretariat for the Brazilian-German Digital Dialogue. The workshop marked the second consecutive participation of the Digital Dialogue in the Brazilian Internet Forum, which serves as a pre-event to the United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF).

Speakers from the private and public sectors as well as academia and civil society participated in the workshop, following the multi-stakeholder approach of both FIB13 and the Digital Dialogues. Johannes Klingberg from the Secretariat for the Brazilian-German Digital Dialogue moderated the panel.

Discussing current regulatory challenges

During the workshop, the participants presented insights on competition laws related to digital platforms.

Yasmin Curzi, researcher at the Centre of Technology and Society of the Getulio Vargas Foundation (CTS-FGV), and Paulo Rená, co-director of AquatuneLAB, agreed that Brazil's regulatory scope for the platform environment requires updates. Although the Law of the Internet in Brazil (Marco Civil da Internet) assigns certain responsibilities to platforms, new challenges have emerged. Thus, overarching regulations are needed.

According to Márcio Chaves, Head of Digital Rights of Almeida Law, the diverse nature of digital platforms should be considered. Consequently, the law should incorporate different requirements tailored to the size and diversity of platform companies.

Learning from international debates

The panellists also stressed the importance of drawing on international experiences when proposing new regulatory approaches for Brazil.

Dr Victor Fernandes, Commissioner at the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE), mentioned the European Digital Markets Act and the German Competition Act as examples. Raquel Saraiva, president of the Research Institute of Law and Technology of Recife (IP.rec), added that Brazil was globally recognised for the approval of the Law of the Internet in 2014.

Overall, the workshop facilitated a comprehensive discussion on various aspects of platform regulation, including the impact on economic competition and consumer rights. You can watch the recording of the discussion in Portuguese here: