Google Brasil ordered to pay R$ 5 million for health misinformation

A Brazilian court has ordered Google Brasil to pay R$ 5 million in collective moral damages for the dissemination of false health information on YouTube during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lawsuit was filed by the Instituto Brasileiro de Estudo e Defesa das Relações de Consumo (Ibedec-MA).

The legal action targeted videos promoting unscientific “miracle cures” and prevention methods that lacked scientific backing. According to Ibedec-MA, these videos reached millions of viewers and potentially encouraged the abandonment of conventional medical treatments, posing a risk to public health. The institute argued that Google’s engagement-based business model and advertising monetization facilitated the organic spread of such harmful content.

Judge Douglas de Melo Martins, of the Vara de Assuntos Difusos e Coletivos in São Luís, based the ruling on the company’s failure to act in accordance with its own security policies and its duty of care under the Consumer Defense Code. While Google had already removed 23 of the 27 identified videos and closed one channel for violating community guidelines, the court found the company liable for its qualified omission.

However, the judge denied other requests from the plaintiffs, such as mandates for the company to implement prior censorship mechanisms, verify medical diplomas of content creators, or create mandatory registries for health-related creators, citing constitutional protections and Supreme Court precedents.