While some countries are failing in the fight against corruption, Brazil has achieved a real negative milestone in recent years. The country managed to deconstruct the Car Wash Operation , the most powerful symbol of the fight against corruption ever carried out in the country and also  encouraged impunity to public agents who commit acts of administrative impropriety, by sanctioning Statute 14,230 of 03.31.2022. Since then,  public agents can no longer be held responsible for damages caused by recklessness, negligence or malpractice, since only deceit (the intention to do or not to do) characterizes impropriety in the corresponding crimes typified by law. An open door for the "I don't know" people... For those who intend to prove anything, they must manage on their own prove that the agent intentionally did the act...

Cookies continue to be a source of concern for authorities responsible for data protection in all countries, even more so if one considers the lack of transparency in the collection and use of much of this data. Behold, the National Data Protection Authority (ANPD) issued an orientation guide for dealing with cookies in Brazil, although the General Data Protection Law (LGPD) itself has not displayed specific rules on the subject. Even for that very reason, this ANPD guide comes at a good time to resolve doubts and serve as a basis for guiding everyone on how to deal with the issue in Brazil.

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In Brazil the concept of the whistleblower continues to be ignored –  as having been incorporated into our legal system by former Minister Sérgio Moro's anti-crime package, approved by the National Congress underStatute 13,964 of December 24, 2019 (which utilizes the definition of informant rather than the North American definition of whistleblower) – along with the benefits that its employment could bring to the country, especially in the fight against corruption. While the United States, at the end of 2022, have just passed the Anti-Money Laundering Whistleblower Improvement Act, making significant progress in the battle against money laundering.

According to the Brazilian Constitution of 1988, the Legislative, Executive and the Judiciary Branches are balanced among themselves.

Although Brazilian antitrust rules follow the example of US antitrust law, the pioneers in the subject were not them, but their Canadian neighbors, since the first known antitrust law was published in 1889, in Canada. By the way, this was the year in which Brazil ceased to be an empire, when the Republic was proclaimed on November 15, 1889, by Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca.

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The Patient Support Programs (PSPs) developed by the pharmaceutical industries are often controversial as to the real benefit they provide, how much they contribute to patient loyalty and the risks they bring to the companies implementing them.

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One of the great frustrations of those who work in companies where there is a solid compliance culture is dealing with the limits imposed by their internal policies and procedures, as compared to competition that, sometimes, uses dubious and loose processes, which lead to numerous conflicts of interest, but which can translate into increased sales.

The entry into force of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union, in 2018, gave rise to concerns about the issue of protection of personal data in the United States of America, especially after the European Court ruled that the Privacy Shield would no longer be accepted as a guarantee for the transfer of personal data of European citizens to the US.

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Recently, a judge in the State of California, United States, rendered a decision ruling that the Food and Drug Administration cannot regulate stem cell treatments as a medicine. Such a decision generated controversy, as there are other decisions that consider cell therapies as medicines regardless of their nature.

Since the GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation) came into force on May 25, 2018, the internet search giant Google, which belongs to Alphabet, started to internally and intensively work not only to adapt itself to the GDPR, but also to create tools that mitigate the misuse of personal information from third parties. Such an effort was not just a privilege of Google, but also of companies that develop internet browsers such as Safari and Mozilla Firefox,  which began to offer the option of blocking third-party cookies in their software.

After the first round of elections in Brazil on October 2, 2022, which elected some governors, senators, federal and state deputies, the research institutes are the big stars among the fierce dispute over the presidency of the Republic. Research institutes managed to get the attention of society, which was, until then, debating whether the electronic voting machines were reliable or not, since, for some, they would be non-auditable; whereas for others, they would be safe as they do not even have internet connection.

Last Wednesday (September 21), the press trumpeted the enactment of a new law, especially the G1 news outlet, informing that healthcare providers are obliged to cover treatments outside the list of the Brazilian Supplementary Health Agency (ANS).

This is another chapter in the fierce dispute between providers and patients, mediated by the authorities. Healthcare providers claim an imbalance in their financial health, while patients denounce lack of coverage and excessive costs in their assistance.

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On January 27, 2022, the Brazilian Data Protection Authority (ANPD) edited Rule CD/ANPD #2 to regulate the application of the  Brazilian Data Privacy Act, (LGPD), Statute #13,709/2018 to small processing agents: micro-enterprises, small businesses, startups, legal entities governed by private law, including non-profits, as per the legislation in force, as well as natural persons and depersonalized private entities that process personal data, assuming typical controller or processor obligations.

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Corruption is definitely not an evil that only plagues Brazil but absolutely all countries without exception, to a greater or lesser extent. The existence of corruptors presupposes the existence of corrupts and vice versa. Therefore, focusing on fighting corruption at both extremes is essential, otherwise the effort may be in vain.

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In March of this year, Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite, from the Criminal Division of the United States Justice Department, made a speech for his colleagues. The contents of this speech are still unknown to many executives and professionals in the legal and compliance areas, but has brought a very interesting new obligation:

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