Google and Brazil's Justice Ministry Partner to Combat Financial Scams Through Ad Restrictions

Google and Brazil's Ministry of Justice have signed an agreement to restrict online advertisements for financial products and services, aiming to curb digital fraud. The new accord mandates that advertisers must undergo a verification process, and only those with a verification seal will be permitted to publish ads. This initiative aligns with the recent enforcement of an updated Marco Civil da Internet (Internet Civil Framework) decree, which holds application providers responsible for fraudulent advertisements. The agreement promotes the voluntary adoption of security, transparency, and advertiser verification measures to protect consumers from digital fraud. Verification can be conducted by Google directly or by trusted third parties, ensuring the legal existence of the individual or entity behind the advertising account. Google will also implement system controls to limit the display of paid financial product and service advertisements. The updated Marco Civil da Internet, signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in May, clarifies internet usage rights and responsibilities in Brazil. This follows a Supreme Court ruling in June 2025 that partially overturned a previous article, establishing broader platform liability for third-party content even without a judicial order. Platforms can now be held liable for serious crimes due to systemic failures in their duty of care and for general crimes if they fail to remove content after notification. The new decree provides practical mechanisms for these rulings, requiring platforms to remove illicit content upon notification, inform users of actions, and allow for appeals through a due process-like system. It also mandates the retention of publication data for future legal proceedings by both law enforcement and defrauded consumers. The decree explicitly protects critical expression, parody, satire, news, and religious expression.