The U.S. Embassy, at the request of major technology companies, approached federal lawmaker Aliel Machado (PV-PR), rapporteur of Brazil's digital markets regulation bill, urging him to postpone a vote on the proposal in the Chamber of Deputies in the coming weeks.
The meeting, held on Tuesday (7), was attended by Economic Counselor Matthew Lowe and Digital Economy Associate Flora Lindsay-Herrera. According to Machado, the U.S. representatives did not present any specific demands, criticism or proposals; they simply asked for more time.
"They came to ask for more time, saying the companies had reached out to them, asked for their help, and that this was not the right time to vote," the lawmaker said.
The embassy told Folha it does not comment on "private diplomatic conversations." Amazon and Google declined to comment, while OpenAI, Microsoft and Apple did not respond.
The bill would create, within Brazil's antitrust authority (Cade), a Special Superintendency for Systemic Relevance, Free Competition and Consumer Protection in Digital Markets. Among other measures, it would prohibit platforms from favoring their own products and require greater algorithmic transparency. The proposal is a priority for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's government.
