On Wednesday night, the United States House Legal Committee released a report concerning orders from Federal Supreme Court (STF) Minister Alexandre de Moraes. The committee sent a document to the American government to investigate 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.
The committee’s document addressed Uzra Zeya, Undersecretary of State for Civil Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, and stated that they were 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 mentioned that Brazil had blocked certain accounts on social media platform X because the government deemed them to be spreading disinformation. Brazilian judge Alexandre de Moraes began an investigation into X after it refused to comply with censorship demands. X stated 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 the month to provide the requested information.