Here is the link, in Portuguese, here is part of Claude’s translation:
We, the undersigned, wish to express our deep concern about the ongoing attacks by Big Tech companies and their allies against Brazil’s digital sovereignty. The dispute between Brazilian judges and Elon Musk is the latest example of a broader effort to limit the ability of independent nations to define the digital development agenda without the control of large corporations based in the United States. At the end of August, the Supreme Court of the Brazilian Federal Court closed the X platform in the Brazilian cyberspace for failure to comply with court orders that required the suspension of accounts that incite right-wing extremists to participate in riots and to be in the Legislature, the Judiciary, and the Government. palaces on January 8, 2023. After that, President Lula da Silva clarified the Brazilian government’s goal of seeking digital freedom: to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign companies to obtain data, AI skills, and digital infrastructure, and to encourage the development of local technological ecosystems. In line with these goals, the Brazilian state also aims to force Big Tech to pay appropriate taxes, comply with local laws, and be held accountable for the extra-social aspects of their business models, which often promote violence and inequality.
These efforts have been met with attacks by X’s owner and right-wing leaders who complain about democracy and freedom of speech. But precisely because the digital space does not have international and democratic regulatory agreements, large technology companies act as rulers, deciding what should be tested and what should be promoted on their platforms. In addition, the X platform and other companies have begun to plan, together with their partners inside and outside the country, to undermine the programs aimed at the technological independence of Brazil. More than a warning to Brazil, their actions send a worrying message to the world: that democratic countries seeking freedom from Big Tech rule are at risk of disruption in their democracies, with certain Big Tech companies supporting far-right movements and parties.
The Brazilian case has become a front in the ongoing global conflict between digital companies and those who want to create a democratic and people-centered digital environment focused on social and economic development. Tech companies not only control the digital world, but also lobby and work against the public sector’s ability to create and maintain an independent digital agenda based on local values, needs, and desires. When their financial interests are at stake, they happily work with authoritarian governments. What we need is enough digital space for states to steer technology by putting people and the planet ahead of private profit or collective government control.
All those who defend democratic values should support Brazil in its quest for digital sovereignty. We want Big Tech to stop its efforts to destroy Brazil’s efforts aimed at building independent capabilities in artificial intelligence, public digital infrastructure, data management, and cloud services. This attack undermines not only the rights of Brazilian citizens but the broader ambitions of all democracies to achieve technological sovereignty. We also call on the Brazilian government to be firm in implementing its digital agenda and criticize the pressures it faces. The UN system and governments around the world should support these efforts.
Signed by Acemoglu, Zucman, Varoufakis, Cory Doctorow, Morozov, Mazzucato, Piketty, and many others. Somehow no one is talking about this application and its acceptance of research?
About Pedro.
Source link