Know More About the Brazilian "Internet Legal Framework"

Abstract

After five years of discussion by the public and almost three by Congress, Federal Law No. 12,965/2014, known as Marco Civil da Internet or the Internet Legal Framework, which deals with the regulation of Brazilian cyberspace, was approved on Apr 23, 2014, and went into effect on Jun 23, 2014. The law establishes the principles and rights regarding the use of the Internet and details the responsibilities of Internet connection providers as well as content providers and the government in the virtual environment. In this survey the authors will explain two positive aspects of the law: one relating to privacy and data protection rules that must be respected by foreign companies that offer services to Brazilian citizens; the other relates to the protection of network neutrality. They will also discuss Internet service providers' liability for damages resulting from content generated by third parties.