Inspired by the videos of a popular online figure who goes by the name Otario Anonymous, Brazilians are debating the role of free expression. A mutual fund won a case against Google for removing Anonymous from the Internet after he warned consumers against hidden fees charged by the fund. Free speech is in the Brazilian constitution but there are no laws protecting service providers from responsibility for content. Google is appealing. (The Wall Street Journal, October 8, 2013, by Loretta Chao)
Twitter was forced to provide Brazilian state prosecutors with the Internet protocol addresses of three accounts last October, an act unthinkable for the company in the U.S. The police were upset by anonymous Tweets that revealed locations of drunk-driving checkpoints. With over 80 million Internet users, Brazil remains one of the most promising markets for Twitter . (The Economics Times, October 8, 2013, by Reuters)