Overview
- The draft bill released in mid‑September proposes prison terms of five to 12 years for coordinated mass disinformation paid for or directed by foreign states or actors and includes an Article 111 that carries penalties up to 12 years for those tied to foreign efforts to alter elections or manipulate opinion.
- Officials told reporters they intend judicial proof of an organized, financed foreign campaign before penalties apply and denied the law targets ordinary reporting or domestic dissent.
- About two‑thirds of the bill addresses issues beyond the islands, adding economic rules, new registers and a permanent National Security Council that critics say would expand executive authority and delegate powers now held by other branches.
- Opposition lawmakers, constitutional experts and civil‑liberties groups warn the bill’s broad language could enable prosecution of journalists, prior censorship, and the undoing of current sanctions if Law No. 26.659 is fully repealed.
- Parliamentary debate is unresolved: commissions and a timetable are not set, some allied MPs are cautious, and government officials say the text is open to amendments as lawmakers weigh changes and potential impacts on companies and press freedom.