EUROCENTRISM AND LAW IN THE FACE OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES

A DISCUSSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH

Abstract

This article discusses the human right to the internet from the perspective of its Eurocentric characteristic, addressing the issue of protection of rights within a context of new technologies, social networks, and data protection violations in Brazil. The emergence of human rights is seen as a renewal of legal modernity, also linked to Europe and the rise of capitalism. From this, the central question is whether there is effective protection in the form of data protection guarantees in Brazil and whether the Eurocentric nature of these laws persists. The conclusion is that Brazilian laws also replicate structural aspects of European laws, such as the General Data Protection Regulation. However, the significance of these laws by Brazilian institutions may align them with Brazilian problems, even though several specific situations and contexts lack robust guarantees. Finally, it is noted that a threat also persists in this scenario of fragile guarantees and uncertainty in the face of increasingly rapid technological innovations: the loss of the regulatory capacity of the law, with the increasingly strong manifestation of private powers in the form of large companies operating in this environment. Thus, we must reflect not only on the colonization of legislation, but also on a colonialism that is manifested in these wild, unregulated powers.