WordPress.com in Brazil
Given the recent news that WordPress.com might be blocked in Brazil, we would like to share some information about the case and our response.
A Brazilian judge ordered that one blog hosted at WordPress.com should be blocked in Brazil. A local ISP association mentioned it would do so via IP address blocking, something that would compromise access to WordPress.com in Brazil and would not block the blog.
We filed a motion on Monday, explaining, in essence: a) how our service works; b) our terms of use and US laws apply to content hosted on WordPress.com; c) we oppose censorship and will not take down the blog ourselves unless it violates our terms of service; d) the best ways to handle the blocking of this blog in Brazil without compromising the access to WordPress.com.
The terms of the lawsuit are confidential so we cannot disclose all the information we would like at this time, such as the names of the parties involved or the blog address.
We are represented in the case by Marcel Leonardi, a Brazilian attorney, law professor, and cyberlaw scholar. He is working on the case pro bono on behalf of the WordPress.com community.
We hope to have this matter resolved within a few days and will keep you updated.
Português Brasileiro
Em virtude das notícias recentes a respeito do possível bloqueio do WordPress.com no Brasil, nós gostaríamos de compartilhar algumas informações sobre caso e nossa resposta.
Um juiz brasileiro determinou que um blog hospedado no WordPress.com deveria ser bloqueado no Brasil. Uma associação local de provedores de serviços de Internet mencionou que isso seria feito por meio de bloqueio de endereço IP, algo que comprometeria o acesso ao WordPress.com no Brasil e não bloquearia o blog.
Apresentamos uma petição na segunda-feira, explicando, em síntese: a) como nosso serviço funciona; b) nossos termos de uso e as leis norte-americanas se aplicam ao conteúdo hospedado no WordPress.com; c) não aceitamos censura e não removeremos o blog a não ser que ele viole nossos termos de uso; d) quais são as melhores formas de lidar com o bloqueio deste blog no Brasil sem comprometer o acesso ao WordPress.com.
Os termos do processo judicial são confidenciais e não podemos revelar todas as informações que gostaríamos neste momento, tais como o nome das pessoas envolvidas e o endereço do blog.
Somos representados neste caso por Marcel Leonardi, advogado, professor de direito e pesquisador de temas de Direito e Internet no Brasil. Ele está trabalhando no caso gratuitamente, em nome da
comunidade WordPress.com.
Esperamos resolver este assunto dentro dos próximos dias e manteremos vocês atualizados.
(My apologies if I messed up the formatting of any of the Portuguese above.)
WordPress.com News 
Thank you very much for this, Matt, we hope they will understand how WP works now and have a more sensible approach to it.
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Very curious about what the content of the weblog is.
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Yes, one of my friend in Brazilian, and she uses WordPress all the time, but she lives here in the U.S.
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Your Portuguese is perfect and THANK YOU and to Marcel for fighting against this arbritary act imposed by folks who doesn’t know how the internet works. Blocking a whole domain because of 1 stupid blogger? C’mon…
Good luck for us all!
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OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!! Noooooooo!!!!!
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Diga não ao bloqueio!
o HumorVip Apóia esta causa!
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Matt. Almost perfect the portuguese writing.
Just two minor corrections:
“algumas informações sobre o caso”
“as leis norte-americanas quese aplicam”
But, you could mispelled or misformatted a lot more… and i would still being grateful to you and Autommatic (and Marcel) because your clear position, trying to balance what is the best to our community, to Autommatic and to Brazilian Courts too.
Standing for principles and beliefs (open source and community power, avoiding censorship, and yet, respect laws) always was one of the reasons i admire Automattic and use Automattic products and serves and I still using wordpress.com even when i have my own domain, use wordpress as CMS and suggested to anyone that ask me about CMS.
Is the kind of corporative (and personal too) behavior inspired the way i do business and relationships.
So, same way i wrote you an open letter, now i write this note and say:
Thank you, guys.
See ya, write ya, read ya.
Best Regads, hug’s and keep wordpressing.
Celso Bessa
Brazilian WordPresser
PS: If by chance you guys come to Brazil, to São Paulo City. Are my guests to some beers, pizzas.
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You guys know that you are somehow being blocked in China too? The Chinese readers on my blog can only access it if they pass through Hong Kong.
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This is incredible! How many brazilians bloggers will suffer damage to their freedom?
Incredible!!!!!!
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Infelizmente, ainda vivemos numa espécie de ditadura internética. Querem bloquear tudo na marra.
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What is it with you and getting blocked? First it was Turkey, now this. Worse luck for Brazilians.
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That’s good. Happy to know that WP.com has taken up the issue and filed a motion. Hope things clear up for our Brazilian Brothers! 😀
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Matt,
“…. technical misunderstandings from ABRANET, the organization that represents brazilians ISPs…. The judge’s intention was only determinate the block of one specific blog that contained outlaw material. But ABRANET told that there wasn’t another way to accomplish it without to block entire wordpress.com”
That’s what a Blogger at http://aquini.wordpress.com/2008/04/23/about-wordpresscom-block-in-brazil/ has to say.
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1- outdated laws and stupid judges.
2- people who think they can do everything, just using their money
3- the same ones, we-don’t-give-a-… to the users’ opinion, likes and dislikes…
It’s a shame to say these things about my own country. I really hope that Marcel, in the name of all WP’ers (not only Brazilian ones) can revert this situation.
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I hope it is resolved.
good luck to you !
Hugs
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That’s a bit annoying. 😐
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Just to clarify, Marcel wrote the statement and the Portuguese, not me!
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Long life for the WordPress and good luck for the lawyer.
Thanks WordPress.
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Hope this gets resolved soon enough. It would not be good if it keeps dragging on. Just wondering what the content of the blog is that got it to this point. Good Luck guys.
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It’s always surprising to hear news like this. WordPress has always struck me as one of the most intelligent and civil blog hosting sites around.
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Thanks for the Info!
And here a differente version of the portuguese text (in the portuguese from Portugal, not portuguese from Brasil version):
“Em virtude das notícias recentes a respeito do possível bloqueio do WordPress.com no Brasil, nós gostaríamos de compartilhar algumas informações sobre caso e a nossa resposta.
Um juiz brasileiro determinou que um blog hospedado no WordPress.com deveria ser bloqueado no Brasil. Uma associação local de fornecedores de serviços de Internet mencionou que isso seria feito por meio de bloqueio de endereço IP, algo que comprometeria o acesso ao WordPress.com no Brasil e não bloquearia o blog.
Apresentamos uma petição na segunda-feira, explicando, em síntese:
a) como o nosso serviço funciona;
b) os nossos termos de uso e as leis norte-americanas que se aplicam ao conteúdo hospedado no WordPress.com;
c) não aceitamos censura e não removeremos o blog a não ser que ele viole nossos termos de uso;
d) quais são as melhores formas de lidar com o bloqueio deste blog no Brasil sem comprometer o acesso ao WordPress.com.
Os termos do processo judicial são confidenciais e não podemos revelar todas as informações que gostaríamos neste momento, tais como o nome das pessoas envolvidas e o endereço do blog.
Somos representados neste caso por Marcel Leonardi, advogado, professor de direito e pesquisador de temas de Direito e Internet no Brasil. Ele está trabalhando no caso gratuitamente, em nome da
comunidade WordPress.com.
Esperamos resolver este assunto dentro dos próximos dias e manteremos vocês atualizados.”
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Congratulations WP!
And thank you.
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Then, i will say to him: Shame on, you Marcel! Ok, i will believe it was just a mistyping error. It happens.
Então, eu vou dizer a ele: Que vergonha, Marcel! Ok, eu vou acreditar que foi só um erro de digitação. Acontece.
🙂
‘braços
Celso Bessa
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Yes I did – and it was very late when I finished it, so any mistakes are my own. 🙂
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Responsive, Matt..
Cool..
Take a responsibility to clean up the problem.
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This is crazy, block an entire network for one blog. That makes no sense, WordPress cannot be held liable for everything that goes on in a users’ if it doesn’t violate the TOS.
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Good Luck with the lawsuit!
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Matt,
Keep up the good fight. WordPress rocks!!
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Brazilian judges hardly understand anything about how the Internet works; about a year ago, YouTube was blocked here for a short while because of some celeb tape. Good luck for Marcel.
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Political censorship is not acceptable. Period.
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Thanks for going to bat for Brazilian bloggers – and for everyone with a WordPress.com blog who stands to lose a huge potential audience.
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Good luck guys!
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Going south in a month and hope this resolves prior to my departure. Judging by what little I understand of Brazilian culture and attitudes, this must be an easily rectified misunderstanding.
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It is hoped that Brazil does not learn the art of censorship from Singapore and China, then we will sadly have to add another country that has been placed state control, and it’s citizen’s comments banned by a fascist government. we hope not for your sake. we hope not for the sake of freedom.
our hearts are with you.
gerry
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Just out of curiosity, if you can disclose this — What were the “best ways to handle the blocking of [the] blog in Brazil without compromising the access to WordPress.com” that you mentioned in your motion to the court? What was the motion for, reconsideration of the order?
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We got the same issue some time ago, regarding the blocking of a You Tube videoclip… The brazilian You Tube community showed strength and the You Tube blocking just lasted a few days, the “victim” of the exposed video removing her complaint after a while when her fame starting falling…
In the current case – which I presume is related to either difamation or child sex (pedofilia?) – I guess you have your reasons to not block the corresponding blog, although I think you might have some day to be able to do that – be it related to Brazil or to whatever country with different laws than the american ones – just to allow the growing of your services worldwide. There’s a trade-off in expanding out of one’s country which is to be able to adapt or adjust to other cultures and laws. Brazilian laws aim to protect people from inacceptable behaviours, so letting them be by-passed can only generate trouble.
However, I just hope an effective and localized solution will be applied to this case, so that everyone can keep the benefit of wordpress.
Good luck and Best Regards,
Gaël.
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engraçado…
um comunicado vocês traduzem quando interessa mas as próprias regras do serviço não tem em português brasileiro….
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Brazil – we are with you *dreaming-from-the-copacabana*
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The Telepathic Crickets on the ClapSotronics editorial board and I stand firmly behind Photomatt and the anti-censorship crew at WordPress…
i can has feedstatz?
The scientifically impossible I do right away
The spiritually miraculous takes a bit longer
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SE O BLOQUEIO FOR NECESSÁRIO,QUE SEJE SOMENTE DO SITE INVESTIGADO(SUSPEITO).NÓS QUE TENTAMOS ANDAR NA LINHA NÃO TEMOS NADA A VER COM O SITE DE PESSOAS INESCRUPULOSAS!!!!!!!!!!
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Eu como usuari do wordpress acho uma tremenda falta de concenso, com os internaltas, tirarem o wordpress do ar, isso é ditadura… isso é coisa do século passado vamos tomar providencias úteis… e deixa o povo trabalhar!!!
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Eu ate acho que o wordpress devia ser mais a brasileirado como todos nós….
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Sad sad…
Sou brasileiro e me envergonho com a estupidez dos juizes brasileiros que sao atrasados, ignorantes, e nao entendem a logica do mundo atual.
Shame on this stupid brazilian judges.
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I love WordPress intensely and madly for this. Go for it. Say no to censorship! Hoist all flags you folks out there! 😆
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Lembre-se valorize a vossa família, sempre:.
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batty
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Hey guys, its funny cause i recently posted this quote in my blog, but i thought it was relevant to you guys in this situation…
You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.
-Winston Churchill
I love your unwavering stance of WordPress. It might get you guys into some deep stuff, but this is what makes wordpress so…. WordPress.
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Well, cyber-censorship is happening not only in China, Brazil, Burma but in a great part of the world. Well, I vehemently oppose censorship. But for bloggers like us, I guess we should also be responsible for what we are writing. Thanks WP and Matt for sharing.
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Good luck guys…. Thank you for standing up for free speech. 🙂
-Chuck
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That what they wanted to do is ridiculous. But if , someday they try o do it again, they won’t because we’re here to support you.
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Caro Matt
Sou jornalista, filiado à Associação Brasileira de Imprensa, e fiquei estarrecido quando soube de mais esta decisão judicial. Não conheço detalhes da ação, mas se o blog em questão não fere as políticas de uso do WordPress, provavelmente a ação visa impor censura, agredindo o texto da Constituição Brasileira, cujo artigo 220, parágrafo 2º, declara que “é vedada toda e qualquer censura de natureza política, ideológica e artística”.
Mais grave ainda é a intenção de bloquear o endereço IP do WordPress, o que impediria o acesso – apenas no Brasil – a um dos melhores serviços de blogs da internet, utilizado por profissionais liberais, jornalistas, professores, estudantes, que a partir de um serviço gratuito e de ótima qualidade, podem desenvolver trabalhos pessoais ou profissionais na internet.
Sou Coordenador de Comunicação de um colégio na Zona Sul de São Paulo e utilizamos o WordPress, tanto para criar blogs de professores quanto para utilizá-lo em projetos especiais em sala de aula.
A Associação Brasileira de Imprensa, que em seus 100 anos de existência, sempre lutou neste país contra a opressão e a censura certamente irá se manisfestar contra esta decisão infame, que avilta o direito de centenas de pessoas e que traz de volta a censura autoritária.
Talvez, com um certo sentimento nostálgico da época dos desmandos da ditadura, certos juízes ainda não perceberam que este país já não é mais uma replubliqueta de bananas.
___________________________________________
Sorry for the mistakes in translation below.
—————————————
Dear Matt
I am a journalist, affiliated to the Brazilian Association of Press, and I was astonished when I heard about this new judicial decision. I do not know details of the action, but if the blog in question does not violate the WordPress’s politcs of use, probably the action seeks to impose censorship, going against Brazilian Constitution’s text, whose Article 220, paragraph 2, states that “it is forbidden any and all censorship of political, ideological and artistic.”
Even more serious is the intention of blocking the IP address of WordPress, which would prevent access – only in Brazil – one of the best Internet blog’s service, used by professionals, journalists, teachers, students, which from a free service and excellent quality, can develop personal or professional work on the Internet.
I am Coordinator of Communication of a scholl in the South Zone of São Paulo, use WordPress, both to create blogs for teachers to use it as a special projects in the classroom.
The Brazilian Association of Press, which in its 100 years of existence, has always fought in this country against oppression and censorship, certainly will manifest your indignation against that infamous decision, which demean the rights of hundreds of people and brings back the authoritarian censorship.
Perhaps, with a certain nostalgic feeling of the time of constraint of dictatorship, some judges do not appreciate that this country is no longer a banana republic.
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Excelente ver que a WordPress está atenta e dá valor aos internautas brasileiros, especialmente aos que utilizam sua plataforma em seus blogs. Vi muitos comentários em blogs, temerosos de que ficassem bloqueados e também temi. É com satisfação que percebo que escolhemos uma ferramenta que apóia seus usuários até mesmo nesse tipo de situação e se preocupa em atender seus anseios. Quando optei pelo WordPress para desenvolver meu blog eu buscava o melhor, agora vejo que a escolha foi acertada.
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Matt,
sería tan feliz si pudiera entenderte.
Como lo lamento.
Con lo mucho que sonríes tú…
Saludos .~)
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Estou na torcida para que não ocorra o bloqueio.
Como citei em alguns fóruns, até por conta do que motivou a esse bloqueio… “Nós, blogueiros do WP, não deitamos na tal cama!” Se querem punir alguém, que o faça com quem filmou e divulgou.
Força ai, Marcel Leonardi!
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Hey Matt..
Thanks for the update! I live in Brazil and have a blog with some of my friends at WordPress, mostly because it is great and easy to use. We were very worried about how this lawsuit would effect our blog and even fearing that wordpress would totally block Brazil from there service.
I hope everything works out! Thanks again for the update!
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I use wordpress for care agents, for people with hemophilia and other blood disorders here in São Paulo…so many of us use blogs to share experiences, informations…I have learned a lot by circulating and visiting other blogs.
Somos livres de escrever o que pensamos.
Vivo aqui e amo o Brasil..más as vezes é de lascar!
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Gostaria de saber se esta notícia: http://buscatech.blogspot.com/2008/05/fim-da-novela-bloqueio-do-wordpress.html , já bastante disseminada entre os blogs brasileiros, de fato representa o fim da questão.
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One of the comments was about child sex, and it’s possible that it’s the reason for the block. However, it’s illegal in the US, so WordPress would have to remove any pictures or blogs that link to said pictures anyways.
I’m not sure how that would affect Man-boy love sites, as the information isn’t really illegal in the US, no matter how much it might be against what most people would like (including myself).
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A free world begins with free communication.
I’m proud to be a part of WordPress
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let me guess, poverty, hunger, drugs, gangs, guns etc have been eliminated in brazil!
so now they’ve got time to spend on these core issues
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It’s nice news
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I hope this here isn’t really needed, but as you can’t access wordpress.com from china, i use this tho get over the “great firewall”: proxy.pac file as described on http://www.lostlaowai.com/commentary/blog/2007/03/26/blogspot-blog-quick-fix/
might be helpful for brazil too…
cheers from Beijing,
sOjahund
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Olar,
Equipe wordpress, caso seja necessário testemunhas do quanto o wordpress vêem contribuindo para a educação e democratização no Brasil. Por gentileza entre em contacto connosco que teremos total disponibilidade para ajuda-los e testemunhar.
Graças a esse blog hoje nossa realidade em nossa faculdade é outra e estudantes que antes faziam estágios em empresa como mão de obra barata mudou.
Além de podemos escrever sem censura e actuaremos de fato em nossa área que escolhermos por profissão. O fazemos de graça, pois entendemos que o jornalismo é mais que uma profissão e sim uma missão.
Conte connosco!
Atenciosamente,
Bianca Povoleri.
Estudante de Jornalismo e
Esditora do Blog Unica Voz.
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yo hablo español, no se si me entiendan pero ami me gusta brazil, y practico deporte brasileño, capoeira
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everything is very clearly in portuguese, thanks for the news.
i would be very happy if wordpress wins this case! come on, it’s just a blog, and if offends so much and it affects wordpress image, than, delete it. and if it doesn’t, where is it the part where the law says about freedom of speech?
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only club penguin
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I hope they get WP better now lol 😀
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