Brazilian Supreme Court resumes trial on ISPs' civil liability regime for third party content

June 3, 2025

Brazilian Supreme Court resumes trial on ISPs' civil liability regime for third party content

The Brazilian Supreme Court (STF) will resume, this Wednesday, June 04, the trial of two appeals that discuss the constitutionality of Article 19 of the Brazilian Internet Act (Law #12,965/2014 - MCI).

The provision defines the current liability regime for internet service providers (ISPs) for damages arising from third party content, establishing that ISPs will only be held liable after non-compliance with a specific court order determining the removal of said content (judicial-takedown), with a few exemptions under the notice-and-takedown regime.

The trial initiated in November 2024, but was suspended on December 18, 2024, due to a request from Justice Andre Mendonça to further study the case. Until the suspension, Justices Dias Toffoli, Luiz Fux, and Luís Roberto Barroso had already voted as follows:

Justice Toffoli

Justice Toffoli voted for the unconstitutionality of Article 19, proposing a notice-and-takedown regime for ISPs liability, except in cases where the content (i) is promoted, (ii) involves fake profiles, (iii) concerns copyright violations, and (iv) falls under an exhaustive list of serious crimes proposed in the vote, in which the platform will be held liable, regardless of a notice to remove the content. Email services and online meeting tools are exempt from this regime, provided they do not operate as social networks; blogs and journalistic websites should be subject to the right of reply law (Law #13,188/15).

Justice Fux

Justice Fux also voted for the unconstitutionality of Article 19, proposing a notice-and-takedown regime for ISPs liability. In his proposal, the Judiciary should be involved only if there is an interest in restoring the removed content. In addition, Justice Fux suggests that ISPs should have the duty to actively monitor content related to hate speech, racism, pedophilia, apology to violence, and the coup d'état.

Justice Barroso

Justice Barroso, delivered a more balanced vote, defending that Article 19 is partially unconstitutional, and its liability regime could be maintained with changes. Justice Barroso defended that notice-and-takedown regime should be the general rule and that the existing regime (judicial takedown) should be maintained for content involving crimes against honor (such as slander, insult, and defamation). His vote also highlights platform's duty of care regarding systemic risks, such as the spread of child pornography, suicide incitement, human trafficking, and terrorism. Barroso also urged the Congress to establish a regulatory framework focused on mitigating systemic risks, including audits, impact reports, and sanctions under the supervision of an independent authority. He also suggested that, until such an authority is created, platforms should publish annual transparency reports modeled after the European Digital Services Act.

This trial will reshape Brazil's regulatory framework for digital platforms. ISPs operating in Brazil should monitor this case closely, as the invalidation or the proposed changes on Article 19 may lead to obligations to proactively moderate content, under the penalty of being held civilly liable for any harm arising from them.

Our team is closely monitoring the trial, as well as other issues related to internet regulation in Brazil. For further information, please contact us at info@lickslegal.com.