Boulos goes to the Attorney General's Office against a congressman for collusion with big tech companies in a project about children on the internet

Federal deputy Guilherme Boulos (PSOL-SP) asked the Attorney General's Office this Friday 15th to open an investigation against deputy Fernando Máximo (União-RO), for the crime of administrative law .

According to Article 321 of the Penal Code , administrative advocacy is the act of directly or indirectly promoting a private interest before the public administration, using the status of an official. The penalty is imprisonment for one to three months, or a fine. If the interest in question is illegitimate, the sentence can be three months to one year, plus a fine.

In the lawsuit, Boulos points to alleged collusion between Máximo and Meta, Mark Zuckerberg's platform. The suspicion arises after a report by The Intercept Brasil revealed that two amendments submitted by the congressman from União Brasil to the text of Bill 2628/2022, aimed at protecting children on social media , were drafted by a Big Tech executive.

The fingerprints of Marconi Borges Machado , public policy manager at Meta since 2017, were discovered through an analysis of the metadata (a kind of digital DNA) of files available on the Chamber's website. The debate surrounding the bill comes amid ongoing discussions about the " adultification " of children in the virtual environment.

One of Machado's amendments sought to exempt large platforms from the obligation to provide reports on content moderation. The argument is that "not all moderation occurs due to conduct that may have caused harm to minors," and the requirement would create a "burden without the necessary counterpart and benefit."

The second proposed eliminating the possibility of imposing fines and criminal sanctions on platforms. The amendments were ultimately rejected by rapporteur Jadyel Alencar (Republicans-PI) in the opinion presented to the Communications Committee on Tuesday the 12th.

According to Boulos, this is “a symbolic example of how the economic power of big tech corrupts the political system” The PSOL representative wrote in his representation to the Attorney General's Office that, if proven, the "use of a public function or position to favor private interests" will be punished.

"Amid the crucial discussion about adultification on social media, we need to prioritize the needs of Brazilian society, not just a handful of American billionaires," Boulos criticized. The reporter reached out to Fernando Máximo, who had not responded by late Friday afternoon. The space remains open.