Panel SA: Video of a USP professor on YouTube against vaccine is barred in court

The Court of Justice of São Paulo blocked the request of a YouTuber teacher for the site to put back on air two of his videos against the use of masks and Covid’s vaccine.

The productions are by USP professor Ricardo Augusto Felicio, who says he uses his channel to “counteract the arguments of the supposed action of man in climate change on our planet, demonstrating the lack of scientific basis”. It has 158,000 subscribers.

YouTube, which belongs to Google, had removed the videos from the site on the grounds that they promoted medical disinformation, which was contrary to the platform’s rules.

In his defense, Felicio says the action was illegal and that it is censorship.

In the decision, judge Daniela Dejuste Paula says there is no censorship, as the author agreed with the network’s guidelines.

“Considering the author’s statements – that the use of masks would be unnecessary and that vaccines would be harmful – in the context in which they are inserted, of a serious health crisis that has already victimized more than 600,000 Brazilians, the protection of the right to information gains so much importance regarding the protection of the right to freedom of expression”, affirms Paula in the sentence.

Also according to the judge, the author is free to believe what suits him, but “no one can be harmed as a result”.

Nicole Moreira, a lawyer at Mattos Filho, who defends Google in the lawsuit, says she hopes the decision will help form jurisprudence in the area. Today, decisions in processes like this are heterogeneous.

Also according to the lawyer, YouTube is a private platform, with pre-established rules, which must be followed. “It’s as if a person wants to join a club and doesn’t want to abide by its rules,” he says.

Sought by Panel SA, Felicio did not respond. He can still appeal the decision.

with Mariana Grazini e Ana Luiza Tieghi