Pandemia, “Infodemia” e Liberdade de Expressão

One of the harmful side effects of the COVID-19 pandemic was the emergence of an “infodemic” that focused on its characteristics, treatments, vaccination and on its very existence. “Infodemic”, in this context, means an excess of information, regardless of its accuracy or veracity, which, like the COVID-19 pandemic, spread rapidly and globally, with visible and measurable consequences on the response to this disease. There is a clear relationship between this phenomenon and the current framework for disseminating information via the internet and on social networks, which may call into question the timeliness of the classic doctrine of freedom of expression. The responses so far, casuistic and based on self-regulation, seem insufficient. A new reading of freedom of expression, imposing effective curatorial duties on the part of the state, will be a possible solution.