AGU asks YouTube to remove illegal gambling profiles in Brazil
The Attorney General's Office of Brazil (AGU) sent an extrajudicial notification to Google, owner of YouTube, regarding profiles hosted on the platform that encourage and facilitate the creation of illegal online gambling establishments in the country, in addition to promoting unauthorized modalities.
According to the entity itself, the action targets the dissemination of tutorials on how to create a casino platform and marketing strategies for the illegal lottery game known as jogo do bicho in the digital environment. Based on this, the AGU requested the immediate removal of the identified profiles, stating that the measure strengthens the fight against irregular operations and reinforces the effectiveness of the Federal Supreme Court's decisions.
The case is supported by an investigation conducted by Agência Lupa, dedicated to fact-checking, while the notification was managed by the National Prosecutor's Office for the Defense of Democracy, which submitted a document with a list of suspicious profiles. According to AGU lawyers, these profiles present themselves as digital marketing companies, although their activities would be aimed at promoting unauthorized practices.
The agency warned that if the platforms do not remove the content, they could be held jointly and severally liable for damages resulting from such omission. In a statement, the AGU maintained that the systematic circulation of these materials represents a threat to the integrity of information and consumer protection, and could be linked to crimes such as tax evasion and money laundering. It added that failure to remove the content could lead to joint and several civil liability for the platform.
Reuters contacted Google for a statement, but the company had not responded at the time the first reports on the case were published.
Tags: Water, YouTube, Google, Illegal gambling, Brazil