An open letter signed by dozens of intellectuals from several countries was released this Tuesday (17) bringing criticism of large technology companies that try to override countries' digital sovereignty. They cite the Brazilian judiciary's dispute with Elon Musk, which resulted in the blocking of X, as an example of this type of action.
In the document, entitled “Against the Big Tech Attack on Digital Sovereignty”, the signatories show themselves concerned about the actions of these companies as if they were authorities. For the authors, this is the result of the lack of international agreements to regulate the functioning of the sector.
OX has been suspended in Brazil since the end of August.Source: Getty Images/Reproduction
“Brazil's dispute with Elon Musk is just the latest example of a broader effort to restrict the ability of sovereign nations to set a digital development agenda free from the control of US-based megacorporations”, says the public letter. The text also mentions that the suspension of the old Twitter was motivated by the failure to comply with court orders.
In another passage, the document mentions that attitudes like Musk's send a warning: “democratic countries that seek independence from the domination of big tech run the risk of suffering disruptions to their democracies.” The signatories also speak of the involvement of some of these companies with far-right parties and movements.
Support for Brazil
In addition to stating that technology giants act contrary to independent agendas defined by public authorities when this affects their interests, The letter asks the Brazilian government not to fail to implement its digital agenda. The authors also suggest that any pressure be reported.
Finally, intellectuals ask people to take an interest in defending “democratic values.” that support Brazil in its pursuit of digital sovereigntyrequesting that the United Nations (UN) follow up on the case. “This is a crucial moment for the world,” the signatories justified.
The list of people who signed the text is made up of Daron Acemoglu (professor do MIT), Shoshana Zuboff (philosopher and professor emeritus at Harvard Business School), Francesca Bria (Italian economist) and David Adler (American economist). French economists Julia Cagé, Gabriel Zucman e Thomas Piketty are also among the authors.
The document also had the participation of Brazilians Jose Grazianoformer director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and academics Marcos Dantas (UFRJ), Helena Martins (UFCE) and Sergio Amadeu da Silveira (UFACB), among others.