Legislators in Chile and Honduras propose new criminal laws

In Chile, Deputy Jaime Bassa has introduced a bill to amend Law 21,459, aiming to criminalize the coordinated manipulation of public debate through automated accounts or bots. The proposal seeks to penalize those who organize, fund, or manage bot networks designed to simulate citizen support or influence electoral and plebiscite processes. Proposed sanctions include prison sentences and fines equivalent to double the cost of the digital services used. Aggravating circumstances would apply if the activity is part of an organized commercial operation or intended to damage a person's dignity.

In Honduras, Deputy Alex Berríos has proposed a decree to re-criminalize the irregular collection of funds. Berríos noted that while such conduct was penalized under the 1983 Penal Code, the current 2017 code lacks a specific figure for unauthorized fund collection, leaving a legal gap. The initiative follows recent financial losses suffered by families in cases such as the Koriun finance firm and the HLV pyramid scheme. The goal is to establish a specific regulatory framework to prevent further unauthorized resource collection that falls outside existing fraud and scam statutes.