Brazil
BrazilWhat this score means
- Extreme75 to 100
- Severe and systematic. Device search, interception and detention over online activity are documented rather than theoretical. Reconsider what you carry and what you say.
- High50 to 74
- Substantial and consistently evidenced measures. Device inspection, monitored networks or restricted services should be expected rather than treated as unlikely.
- Caution25 to 49
- Some risk, and manageable with precautions. Measures are evidenced but are narrow, inconsistently applied, or the picture is mixed.
- Low0 to 24
- Ordinary precautions. No systematic device search, network restriction or prosecution of visitors for online speech is evidenced.
Government travel advice is written for one citizenry, so the same country carries a different assessment depending on your passport. Change it in the header.
Showing the baseline, which weights every issuer equally. No government in our corpus publishes travel advice written for you, so this is not addressed to you specifically.
For United Kingdom nationals: 33 (caution). This leans on advice written for British nationals, and weights other issuers lower.
For Europe nationals: 32 (caution). This leans on advice written for German nationals, and weights other issuers lower.
For United States nationals: 33 (caution). This leans on advice written for US nationals, and weights other issuers lower.
For Canada nationals: 34 (caution). This leans on advice written for Canadian nationals, and weights other issuers lower.
For Latin America and the Caribbean nationals: 33 (caution). No government in our corpus writes travel advice for Latin America and the Caribbean, so this starts from the neutral baseline and is then adjusted for the relationship below.
For Africa nationals: 34 (caution). No government in our corpus writes travel advice for Africa, so this starts from the neutral baseline and is then adjusted for the relationship below.Adjusted by 4 percent for the relationship between Africa and this destination.For most passports in this region, Brazil requires a visa in advance, applied for and vetted before travel. Summarised across 54 passports, which do not all face the same rule. Source.A sanctions regime is not a measure of cyber risk. It is used as a bounded proxy for the closer attention nationals of a sanctioning state are reported to receive on entry, and it can move a score by a limited amount in either direction, never replace it.
For Middle East nationals: 34 (caution). No government in our corpus writes travel advice for Middle East, so this starts from the neutral baseline and is then adjusted for the relationship below.Adjusted by 4 percent for the relationship between Middle East and this destination.For most passports in this region, Brazil requires a visa in advance, applied for and vetted before travel. Summarised across 18 passports, which do not all face the same rule. Source.A sanctions regime is not a measure of cyber risk. It is used as a bounded proxy for the closer attention nationals of a sanctioning state are reported to receive on entry, and it can move a score by a limited amount in either direction, never replace it.
For South Asia nationals: 34 (caution). No government in our corpus writes travel advice for South Asia, so this starts from the neutral baseline and is then adjusted for the relationship below.Adjusted by 4 percent for the relationship between South Asia and this destination.For most passports in this region, Brazil requires a visa in advance, applied for and vetted before travel. Summarised across 14 passports, which do not all face the same rule. Source.A sanctions regime is not a measure of cyber risk. It is used as a bounded proxy for the closer attention nationals of a sanctioning state are reported to receive on entry, and it can move a score by a limited amount in either direction, never replace it.
For East and South East Asia nationals: 34 (caution). No government in our corpus writes travel advice for East and South East Asia, so this starts from the neutral baseline and is then adjusted for the relationship below.Adjusted by 4 percent for the relationship between East and South East Asia and this destination.For most passports in this region, Brazil requires a visa in advance, applied for and vetted before travel. Summarised across 19 passports, which do not all face the same rule. Source.A sanctions regime is not a measure of cyber risk. It is used as a bounded proxy for the closer attention nationals of a sanctioning state are reported to receive on entry, and it can move a score by a limited amount in either direction, never replace it.
For Oceania nationals: 34 (caution). No government in our corpus writes travel advice for Oceania, so this starts from the neutral baseline and is then adjusted for the relationship below.Adjusted by 4 percent for the relationship between Oceania and this destination.For most passports in this region, Brazil requires a visa in advance, applied for and vetted before travel. Summarised across 14 passports, which do not all face the same rule. Source.A sanctions regime is not a measure of cyber risk. It is used as a bounded proxy for the closer attention nationals of a sanctioning state are reported to receive on entry, and it can move a score by a limited amount in either direction, never replace it.
Dimensions
Each dimension is scored independently, because the traveller who cares about legal exposure for what they have posted is often not the one carrying client data. Higher means more risk.
Network threat
How hostile is the network environment to a foreign visitor, from state actors and criminals alike?
good confidence5 independent sourcesEvidence is ageing: contributing sources are weighted at 69% of full strength.
Why this score (8 sources)
ITU Global Cybersecurity Index 2024, Technical pillar: 20.00 of 20.
International Telecommunication Union, Global Cybersecurity Index · observed 2024-12-31
Freedom House scored Brazil 22 of 25 on obstacles to access in Freedom on the Net, a category covering state control over internet infrastructure and gateways, regulatory and ownership control over service providers, and the independence of the regulator.
Freedom House, Freedom on the Net, obstacles to access · observed 2025-01-01
A malware campaign was recently detected in Brazil, distributing a malicious LNK file using WhatsApp.
Kaspersky Securelist feed · observed 2025-10-15 · extracted by language model
In a recent incident response case in Brazil, we spotted intriguing new antivirus (AV) killer software that has been circulating in the wild since at least October 2024.
Kaspersky Securelist feed · observed 2025-08-06 · extracted by language model
Criminals can compromise public Wi-Fi networks to steal personal data or credit information.
Global Affairs Canada, Travel advice and advisories · observed 2026-10-16 · written for CAN nationals · extracted by language model
Recently, we uncovered BeatBanker, an Android‑based malware campaign targeting Brazil.
Kaspersky Securelist feed · observed 2026-03-10 · extracted by language model
Data from the DataSenado , from the Brazilian Federal Senate, points out that almost a quarter of Brazilians older than 16 were affected by these digital scams in 12 months between 2023 and 2024, in cases such as card cloning, internet fraud, or vulnerability in bank accounts.
Global Voices (Advox), via a site scoped search · observed 2025-08-31 · extracted by language model
In a recent incident response case in Brazil, we dealt with a relatively simple, yet very effective threat focused on Linux environments.
Kaspersky Securelist feed · observed 2025-04-29 · extracted by language model
Report an inaccuracy (corrections need a link to the reporting, statute or research that shows it).
1 excluded source
- Kaspersky Securelist feed, observed 2024-02-08: aged out after 3 years.
Surveillance and interception
How comprehensively are communications intercepted, retained, and monitored, and is commercial spyware in use?
good confidence6 independent sources
Why this score (7 sources)
Freedom House 2026 scored BRA 3 of 4 on freedom to express personal views on sensitive topics without fear of surveillance or retribution.
Freedom House, Freedom in the World · observed 2026-01-01
V-Dem Digital Society Project 2025 scored BRA 2.83 of 4 on how comprehensively the government monitors social media and private online communication, where higher is freer.
V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project · observed 2025-12-31
V-Dem Digital Society Project 2025 scored BRA 3.64 of 4 on how far privacy protection law shields communications from government access, where higher is freer. This measures what privacy law permits rather than what monitoring is practised, so it is read here as a constraint on interception rather than a measurement of it.
V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project · observed 2025-12-31
The World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2025 scored BRA 0.59 of 1 on whether freedom from arbitrary interference with privacy is effectively guaranteed, a measure built from expert assessments of warrantless interception of communications.
World Justice Project, Rule of Law Index, sub-factor 4.6 · observed 2025-01-01
Agents used First Mile software to track mobile phones without judicial authorisation, violating constitutional rights and endangering the confidentiality of sources.
Reporters Without Borders, via a site scoped search · observed 2025-06-27 · extracted by language model
Drones and facial recognition cameras were also used to police the event.
MyJoyOnline, via a site scoped search · observed 2025-05-04 · extracted by language model
Security was also tight, with nearly 8,000 officers deployed, along with drones, facial recognition cameras and 18 screening points with metal detectors.
The Tico Times, via a site scoped search · observed 2026-05-03 · extracted by language model
Report an inaccuracy (corrections need a link to the reporting, statute or research that shows it).
1 excluded source
- Committee to Protect Journalists, via a site scoped search, observed 2022-07-01: aged out after 4 years.
Border device risk
How likely is my device to be searched, imaged, or seized at the border, and can I be compelled to unlock it?
good confidence5 independent sources
Why this score (6 sources)
Freedom House 2026 scored BRA 2 of 4 on due process in civil and criminal matters.
Freedom House, Freedom in the World · observed 2026-01-01
Brazil - Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
US Department of State, Travel Advisories · observed 2026-08-31 · written for USA nationals
FCDO advice for Brazil: avoid_all_but_essential_travel_to_parts.
UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Foreign travel advice · observed 2026-09-29 · written for GBR nationals
Brazil: Exercise a high degree of caution
Global Affairs Canada, Travel advice and advisories · observed 2026-10-14 · written for CAN nationals
Brazil (Brasilien): No travel warning in force
Auswärtiges Amt, Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise · observed 2026-10-14 · written for DEU nationals
Customs officials have the authority to confiscate any vape products found in travellers’ luggage (both checked in and carry on) during inspections.
UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Foreign travel advice · observed 2026-09-29 · written for GBR nationals · extracted by language model
Report an inaccuracy (corrections need a link to the reporting, statute or research that shows it).
Speech and legal exposure
What legal risk attaches to what I have said online, or say while I am there?
good confidence7 independent sources
Why this score (9 sources)
Freedom House 2026 scored BRA 3 of 4 on freedom to express personal views on sensitive topics without fear of surveillance or retribution.
Freedom House, Freedom in the World · observed 2026-01-01
Freedom House 2026 scored BRA 3 of 4 on free and independent media.
Freedom House, Freedom in the World · observed 2026-01-01
V-Dem Digital Society Project 2025 scored BRA 3.86 of 4 on how routinely the government censors political content on social media, where higher is freer.
V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project · observed 2025-12-31
V-Dem Digital Society Project 2025 scored BRA 2.90 of 4 on how often people are arrested for political content they posted online, where higher is freer.
V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project · observed 2025-12-31
Brazil - Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
US Department of State, Travel Advisories · observed 2026-08-31 · written for USA nationals
FCDO advice for Brazil: avoid_all_but_essential_travel_to_parts.
UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Foreign travel advice · observed 2026-09-29 · written for GBR nationals
Brazil: Exercise a high degree of caution
Global Affairs Canada, Travel advice and advisories · observed 2026-10-14 · written for CAN nationals
Brazil (Brasilien): No travel warning in force
Auswärtiges Amt, Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise · observed 2026-10-14 · written for DEU nationals
Later on, he was convicted of transphobia for his public comments about Salabert.
Global Voices (Advox), via a site scoped search · observed 2026-05-21 · extracted by language model
Report an inaccuracy (corrections need a link to the reporting, statute or research that shows it).
1 excluded source
- MyJoyOnline, via a site scoped search, observed 2024-08-31: aged out after 2 years.
Encryption and VPN legality
Are VPNs and strong encryption lawful, and can I be required to install an application or hand over keys?
good confidence4 independent sources
Why this score (5 sources)
Some restrictions. Brazil's legal frameworks provide for the inviolability of the secrecy of communications, including online, with exceptions permitted only by court order. So far, there have been at least two court decisions which suspended the use of an encrypted communications app on the basis that they failed to comply with court orders demanding the contents of encrypted communications. It's not possible to determine the legal basis for the actions taken.
Global Partners Digital, World Map of Encryption Laws and Policies · observed 2019-06-01
V-Dem Digital Society Project 2025 scored BRA 3.55 of 4 on whether the government regulates the internet in a way consistent with international human rights standards, where higher is freer. This does not establish whether encryption or VPN use is lawful. It measures internet regulation in general, and is used as indirect evidence because the only survey that reads encryption law directly was published in 2019.
V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project · observed 2025-12-31
OONI confirmed blocking on 2 of 231,097 measurements of anonymity and censorship circumvention tools in BRA over the 90 days to 2026-10-16, a confirmed blocking rate of 0.00 percent, with 5,514 further results inconclusive.
Open Observatory of Network Interference, OONI measurement data · observed 2026-10-16
En todos esos casos, el bloqueo era adoptado como una sanción por el incumplimiento de órdenes judiciales relativas a la entrega de información por parte de WhatsApp, información que a su vez no era provista por WhatsApp, por estar cifrada.
Our translation: In all those cases, the blocking was adopted as a sanction for non-compliance with court orders concerning the provision of information by WhatsApp, information that WhatsApp in turn did not provide because it was encrypted.
Derechos Digitales, via a site scoped search · observed 2025-07-23 · extracted by language model
Lo que se sabe hasta ahora es que la justicia brasileña emitió una serie de órdenes judiciales que obligaban a Facebook, empresa dueña de WhatsApp, a entregar el contenido de una conversación en grupo en la aplicación de mensajería, así como otros datos, incluidos los de geolocalización.
Our translation: What is known so far is that the Brazilian justice system issued a series of court orders requiring Facebook, the company that owns WhatsApp, to hand over the content of a group conversation in the messaging application, as well as other data, including geolocation data.
Derechos Digitales, via a site scoped search · observed 2025-07-23 · extracted by language model
Report an inaccuracy (corrections need a link to the reporting, statute or research that shows it).
2 excluded sources
- Rappler, via a site scoped search, observed 2024-09-03: aged out after 2 years.
- MyJoyOnline, via a site scoped search, observed 2024-08-31: aged out after 2 years.
Data jurisdiction
What happens to corporate or client data I carry into the jurisdiction?
good confidence3 independent sourcesEvidence is ageing: contributing sources are weighted at 64% of full strength.
Why this score (3 sources)
V-Dem Digital Society Project 2025 scored BRA 3.64 of 4 on how far privacy protection law shields communications from government access, where higher is freer.
V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project · observed 2025-12-31
Four years later, the General Personal Data Protection Law (LGPD) built on that foundation to establish a strong personal data protection regime, partly inspired by the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) .
Global Voices (Advox), via a site scoped search · observed 2025-08-29 · extracted by language model
La piedra angular del proyecto de ley es el requisito de requerir el consentimiento del titular para el tratamiento de sus datos, el cual debe ser libre e inequívoco.
Our translation: The cornerstone of the bill is the requirement to obtain the data subject’s consent for processing their data, which must be free and unequivocal.
Derechos Digitales, via a site scoped search · observed 2025-07-23 · extracted by language model
Report an inaccuracy (corrections need a link to the reporting, statute or research that shows it).
Connectivity continuity
How likely am I to lose access to the internet, or to the specific tools I depend on?
good confidence8 independent sources
Why this score (9 sources)
V-Dem Digital Society Project 2025 scored BRA 3.95 of 4 on how often the government shuts down domestic access to the internet, where higher is freer.
V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project · observed 2025-12-31
V-Dem Digital Society Project 2025 scored BRA 3.42 of 4 on how routinely the government filters internet content in practice, where higher is freer.
V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project · observed 2025-12-31
OONI recorded 11 confirmed and 49,526 anomalous results across 2,162,535 web connectivity measurements in BRA over the 30 days to 2026-10-16, a confirmed blocking rate of 0.00 percent.
Open Observatory of Network Interference, OONI measurement data · observed 2026-10-16
Brazil - Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
US Department of State, Travel Advisories · observed 2026-08-31 · written for USA nationals
FCDO advice for Brazil: avoid_all_but_essential_travel_to_parts.
UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Foreign travel advice · observed 2026-09-29 · written for GBR nationals
Brazil: Exercise a high degree of caution
Global Affairs Canada, Travel advice and advisories · observed 2026-10-14 · written for CAN nationals
Brazil (Brasilien): No travel warning in force
Auswärtiges Amt, Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise · observed 2026-10-14 · written for DEU nationals
The group highlighted the suspension of Elon Musk’s X , ordered by the Supreme Court (STF) in August 2024 for refusing to name a legal representative in Brazil, as well as the USD 5 million fine that the company had to pay.
Global Voices (Advox), via a site scoped search · observed 2025-09-04 · extracted by language model
Examples include Google ’s exit from China, countries that have banned Telegram and the temporary withdrawal of X (formerly Twitter) from Brazil, all of which highlight serious concerns about free speech.
SFLC.in, via a site scoped search · observed 2025-03-15 · extracted by language model
Report an inaccuracy (corrections need a link to the reporting, statute or research that shows it).
6 excluded sources
- Derechos Digitales, via a site scoped search, observed 2016-07-01: aged out after 10 years.
- Rappler, via a site scoped search, observed 2024-09-04: aged out after 2 years.
- MyJoyOnline, via a site scoped search, observed 2024-08-31: aged out after 2 years.
- Global Voices (Advox), via a site scoped search, observed 2022-07-01: aged out after 4 years.
- Colombia One, via a site scoped search, observed 2024-10-10: aged out after 2 years.
- Rappler, via a site scoped search, observed 2024-09-19: aged out after 2 years.
Trend
The overall score is up 10.0 points over 61 days, from 23.2 to 33.2. Most movement is the event overlay decaying rather than anything happening: a news signal loses half its weight every three weeks, so a score drifts back toward its structural baseline on its own. A step that holds is the one worth reading.
Check this yourself
These are not inputs to the score for Brazil. They are where to look if you want to test what is above against something we did not use.
- OONI ExplorerMeasured tests of website and app blocking, updated continuously by volunteers running probes in country. Not used in our scores: its licence forbids commercial use.
- IODA outage recordThe full outage history behind any continuity events shown above, including the measurement methods that detected them.
- FCDO travel adviceThe UK government view, written for UK nationals.
- US State Department travel advisoriesThe US government view, written for US nationals.
Sources
This assessment draws on 18 sources: Auswärtiges Amt, Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise; Derechos Digitales, via a site scoped search; Freedom House, Freedom in the World; Freedom House, Freedom on the Net, obstacles to access; Global Affairs Canada, Travel advice and advisories; Global Partners Digital, World Map of Encryption Laws and Policies; Global Voices (Advox), via a site scoped search; International Telecommunication Union, Global Cybersecurity Index; Kaspersky Securelist feed; MyJoyOnline, via a site scoped search; Open Observatory of Network Interference, OONI measurement data; Reporters Without Borders, via a site scoped search; SFLC.in, via a site scoped search; The Tico Times, via a site scoped search; UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Foreign travel advice; US Department of State, Travel Advisories; V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, Digital Society Project; World Justice Project, Rule of Law Index, sub-factor 4.6. Every contributing claim is quoted with its origin and date above. Model version 0.12.0, computed 2026-10-16.
If something here is wrong, say so. Corrections are handled in public, and we correct because the evidence is wrong, not because someone objects.