Brazil Legislators Bear Down on Internet Bill

Brazilian lawmakers continue to focus on an Internet bill that could force US companies like Google to open costly data centers in the country amid fallout from allegations of cyberespionage by Washington.

For weeks, the lower house of Congress has deferred debate on other matters to discuss a measure that would require local storage of online data relating to Brazilian citizens. The requirement has been pushed by officials since allegations surfaced this year that the U.S. National Security Agency targeted Brazilian users, including President Dilma Rousseff, according to documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. A vote by the lower house could come as early as this week. Meanwhile, Google submitted testimony to a US Senate subcommittee last week asking the government to exercise more transparency in its surveillance practices because retaliation in Brazil and other countries could cost US companies tens of billions of dollars. The company also warned against calls for data localization because of the potential effect on Internet use.