The changing nature of verification, Brazil to investigate Musk and labelling AI content
Hello and welcome to Everything in Moderation's Week in Review, your in-depth guide to the policies, products, platforms and people shaping the future of online speech and the internet. It's written by me, Ben Whitelaw and supported by members like you.
The thread that joins the two countries featured in today's newsletter is that they both had elections in 2022. Two years on, Brazilian and Kenyan government officials are still dealing with the fallout of platform under-preparedness and real-world violence. Which begs the question: are we getting an insight into what US, UK and India elected officials can expect in 2026?
New names from Checkr, Discord, Zoltner, Ofcom, the Integrity Institute, Common Sense Networks, eSafety Commission and the rest of you, thanks for subscribing. Drop me a line if you have any questions or want to recommend ways to celebrate the upcoming 250th edition of EiM.
A little little than usual but here's everything you need-to-know from the last seven days — BW
Today's edition is in partnership with All Things in Moderation, the annual conference for humans who moderate
Want to connect with other folks involved in online speech and moderation around the world? You'll want to attend All Things in Moderation.
Taking place online on May 16 - 17, ATIM includes a diverse range of speakers and talks, including 'Moderating Voice and Chat in online communities' and 'The role of Digital Stewards in Keeping the Peace'.
Not only that but a portion of proceeds are being donated to the Kenyan Content Moderators' Union. Even more reason to reserve your space.
Policies
New and emerging internet policy and online speech regulation
A Supreme Court in Brazil judge has ordered an inquiry into Elon Musk after the X/Twitter owner challenged the court’s decision to block certain accounts and then called on the judge to resign. Justice Alexandre de Moraes has been investigating fake news and hate speech during the government of Jair Bolsonaro and, following Musks’ refusal to comply with the order, has added Musk to his list.
Wider context: Brazilian government officials have been gunning for social media platforms since federal buildings were stormed last January by unhappy Bolsonaro supporters. Moraes has already ordered an investigation into Google and Telegram executives last year (EiM #201), following their attempt to push back against PL2630, also known as the Fake News Law (EiM #160).
This is shaping up to be another attempt by a US technology company to steer public debate in one of the world's fastest growing markets. As lawyer and Oversight Board member Ronaldo Lemos noted in an op-ed, Musk has "much more influential on big tech than we like to realize".