Big tech firms face pushback from Brazil's 'fake news law'

Brazil's government and judiciary have criticized big tech firms for campaigning against a proposed internet regulation bill aimed at cracking down on fake news, alleging undue interference in the debate in Congress. The bill puts the onus on internet companies, search engines, and social messaging services to find and report illegal material, charging hefty fines for failures to do so. Tech firms, including Google, have been campaigning against the bill, with Google adding a link on its search engine in Brazil connecting to blogs against the bill and asking users to lobby their representatives. Justice Minister Flavio Dino ordered Google to change the link on Tuesday, saying the company had two hours after notification or would face fines of one million reais ($198,000) per hour if it did not.