September 7, 2021

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro signed a decree Monday officially changing Internet rules in South America’s most populous country to combat the “arbitrary removal” of accounts, profiles and content.

The decree aims to “give clarity” on social media companies’ “policy of deleting or suspend accounts and would enable users to repost banned content, as a means to protect freedom of speech, the president’s press office said.

Bolsonaro has often been accused of spreading misinformation on social media among his constituents, with multiple posts of his removed from Facebook and YouTube during the pandemic.

In response, the Brazilian leader has encouraged many of his followers to switch to alternative social media platforms such as Parler and Telegram.

For more information, view the original story from Reuters.