AGU sues Discord after Lula's order, requests R$500 million fine: 'We cannot tolerate digital cracklands,' says Messias
oglobo26 August 2026 at 19:48
The Federal Attorney General's Office (AGU), by order of President Lula, filed a public civil action against the Discord platform in the Federal Court of Brasília, seeking a fine of R$ 500 million for collective moral damages. According to Minister Jorge Messias, the lawsuit is based on ten violations of R$ 50 million each, related to insufficient protection against illegal behaviors involving women, children, adolescents, and animals. Messias stated that the federal government cannot tolerate "true digital crack houses" and that the platform must comply with Brazilian legislation, after failed attempts at negotiation for a Conduct Adjustment Agreement.
Socialist João Soares criticized at the PSD Summer University the comparison between José Luís Carneiro and André Ventura, classifying it as "an indecency", but defended Minister Luís Neves from what he considered a "miserable campaign" against him.
The national director of Portugal's Public Security Police (PSP), Luís Neves, used a vehicle that had been seized by the Judicial Police in 2022 from the drug trafficker known as "Xuxas." The car began being used by Luís Neves while he was still the national director of the PSP, and after his transition to the position of Minister of Internal Administration in the current Government, he requisitioned the same vehicle again for his personal use, continuing to use it currently.
New reports from the National Statistics Institute and the Bank of Portugal, revealing inflation of 3% and mortgage interest rates of 3.1%, are shaping the debate on the State Budget in Lisbon. The Ministry of Finance needs to calibrate public expenditure rigorously, while PSD, the governing party, advocates fiscal rigor and progressive tax reduction, PS demands priority investment in health and education with an 18% increase in public investment, and Chega is imposing strict conditions for immediate tax relief for the middle class. The budgetary surplus of 0.7% at the start of the year gives the Executive some breathing room, but the opposition demands that this financial slack reach citizens quickly.
The general secretary of the PS, José Luís Carneiro, called for more democratic humility from the Government, also emphasizing the importance of foreign workers for the Portuguese economy.
