Ronaldo Lemos (Araguari, March 25, 1976) is a Brazilian lawyer specializing in technology, professor, researcher, and television host, internationally recognized for his work on intellectual property, data privacy, artificial intelligence, media, public policy, and innovation.
He was the creator and leading advocate of the Brazilian Civil Rights Framework for the Internet, (Marco Civil da Internet) the first comprehensive law on technology and the internet in Brazil. He is also one of the most prominent figures in the regulatory development of the internet in the country. He co-authored the Brazilian National Internet of Things Plan, and led the drafting of the country's first comprehensive legislation on artificial intelligence, Complementary Law No. 205/2025 of the State of Goiás.
He holds a Master of Laws degree from Harvard University and both a Bachelor's and a PhD in Law from the University of São Paulo (USP). He founded the Institute for Technology and Society of Rio de Janeiro (ITS Rio), where he currently serves as Chief Scientist. He has been Professor of Technology and Public Policy at Columbia University in New York, at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), and Full Professor of Technology at Schwarzman College of Tsinghua University, in Beijing. In Brazil, he served as Professor of Computer Law at the Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ) and Full Professor of Intellectual Property at the Rio de Janeiro Law School of Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), of which he was one of the founders. He was also a visiting researcher and the representative of the MIT Media Lab in Brazil, in addition to being a visiting researcher at Princeton and Oxford universities.
He has served on the boards of several organizations, including the Mozilla Foundation, Access Now, and German Hospital Oswaldo Cruz. He currently sits on the Spotify Safety Advisory Council, Meta's Oversight Board, the Stellar Development Foundation Board, and the Board of the Museum of Tomorrow, among others.
He is a weekly columnist and member of the Editorial Board of Folha de S.Paulo one of Brazil's most prominent newspapers. He is also the creator and host of Expresso Futuro, a documentary series on innovation and technology broadcast weekly by Futura Channel and also aired by Fantástico on TV Globo.
Lemos has worked in television across multiple networks and published books on various topics, including law, technology, and culture. He has also served as curator of the Tim Festival, a music festival held between (2005–2008), and is currently curator of the C6 Fest.
In 2015, he was named one of the Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum and became a fellow of Ashoka. He is also a practicing lawyer, leading the technology practice at Rennó Penteado Sampaio Advogados. He served as president of the Technology Committee of the São Paulo Bar Association (OAB-SP).
His work includes collaborations with organizations and companies around the world, including the incorporation of technologies into public administration.
Main Legislative Contributions in Brazil
Marco Civil da Internet Recognized as the creator and main advocate of the Brazilian Civil Rights Framework for the Internet (Marco Civil da Internet), Ronaldo Lemos played a central role in the initiative that led to the legal regulation of users' rights and responsibilities on the internet in Brazil, through Law No. 12,965/2014. In 2007, he established a partnership with the Secretariat for Legislative Affairs of the Ministry of Justice, through which he developed an innovative model of public participation in the drafting of legislation via online public consultations. Based on contributions received during the public consultation process between 2009 and 2010, he drafted the first version of the bill, which was later enacted in 2014.
First Artificial Intelligence Law in Brazil, State of Goiás Lemos led the drafting of the first state and country-level legislation on artificial intelligence in Brazil, approved in May 2025 by the State of Goiás. The proposal was developed through a public consultation coordinated by the Institute for Technology and Society of Rio de Janeiro (ITS Rio) and Abranet, with Lemos serving as the chief coordinator. Key points of the new law include prioritization of open source AI models, the integration of AI education into public school curricula, and incentives for the use of renewable energy in data center operations.
Rare Earths and Critical Minerals Law of the State of Goiás He was the architect and driving force behind the law on rare earth elements, critical minerals, and remineralizers approved by the State of Goiás (Law No. 23,597/2025). The legislation established the State Authority for Critical Minerals (AMIC/GO). Considering Goiás’ abundance of rare earth elements and critical minerals such as niobium, neodymium, dysprosium, yttrium, among others, the law implemented tools for the strategic development of these resources. Among them are the creation of the State Fund for the Development of Critical Minerals (FEDMC), the establishment of Special Zones for Critical Mineral Mining (ZEMCs), and the financing of technological innovation and local infrastructure projects.
National Internet of Things Plan In 2016, in partnership with McKinsey & Company and the Center for Research and Development in Telecommunications (CPqD), Lemos initiated actions to formalize Brazil's National Internet of Things Plan. The project was carried out through an agreement between the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (NBESD) and the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communications (MCTI). The resulting report, co-authored by Lemos, was published in May 2018 on the NBESD website and, after being submitted to the Office of the Chief of Staff, was established by Decree No. 9,854/2019.
General Data Protection Law (LGPD) Lemos was actively involved in advocating for the implementation of Brazil's General Personal Data Protection Law (Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados Pessoais – LGPD), a proposal originally conceived by professor and lawyer Danilo Doneda. He coordinated the academic team that supported the federal government in collecting public input on the bill, which was ultimately enacted in 2018.
Creative Commons Licenses In 2004, Lemos led the project that introduced Creative Commons licensing in Brazil, providing creators with various options for licensing their intellectual property. He was responsible for translating and adapting version 2.0 of the licenses to Brazilian law, making Brazil the third country in the world to adopt the model. In 2010, he also translated and formalized version 3.0 of the licenses.
Free Software Licenses for the Federal Government
Also in 2004, Lemos contributed to the development of licensing models used by the Brazilian federal government for free software. Through an agreement between the Free Software Foundation and the National Institute of Information Technology, he translated and adapted the Free Software Foundation's licenses to Portuguese and integrated them with Creative Commons licenses. This unprecedented development led to the creation of hybrid licenses CC-GNU-GPL and CC-GNU-LGPL, which formed the legal basis for free and public software initiatives in Brazil.
Copyright Law Reform Lemos drafted the bill on collective copyright management that was incorporated into the final report of the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry on ECAD (the Central Bureau for Collection and Distribution). The process resulted in the enactment of Law No. 12,853/2013, which amended Brazil's Copyright Law. Among the provisions of the new law are increased oversight of ECAD by trade associations and public bodies, and expanded accountability regarding rightsholders over their works.
Mudamos Platform Through ITS Rio, Lemos created the digital platform Mudamos, which enabled citizens to digitally sign bills of popular initiative. The goal was to simplify the collection of signatures required for such bills to be submitted to legislative bodies. The platform served both as a repository for legislative proposals and as a tool for digital signature collection.
Media contributions
Newspapers, magazines, and news portals Ronaldo Lemos has been a contributor to Folha de S.Paulo since 2004, becoming a columnist for the newspaper in June 2009. Since then, his column has focused on issues related to technology.
In 2006, he began contributing to Trip Magazine, where he maintained a monthly column on technology, behavior, and culture until March 2020, when the magazine was discontinued.
Lemos has also contributed to several other outlets, including Harper's Bazaar, Consultor Jurídico, JOTA, Observatório da Imprensa, and Foreign Affairs.
TV On television, Lemos worked for a decade as a technology commentator on the program Estúdio i on GloboNews, joining the team from the show's debut in 2008.
In 2011, he debuted as a tv host on MTV Brasil, hosting two seasons of the program Mod MTV, recorded in New York and focused on technological trends.
Between 2013 and 2015, he was part of the team of hosts of the weekly program Navegador on GloboNews. In a roundtable format, the show promoted debates on innovation from cultural, technological, political, and social perspectives, with the participation of Alê Youssef, José Marcelo Zacchi, and Hermano Vianna.
During this period, Lemos also worked as a co-writer and regularly appeared on the program Esquenta! on TV Globo, where he gained recognition in 2014 with the segment O que queremos para o Brasil ("What We Want for Brazil"). Alt URL
Since 2017, Ronaldo Lemos has hosted Expresso Futuro, a documentary series on technology and innovation broadcast annually on Futura Channel, with selected seasons also aired on Fantástico. Conceived and written by him, the program follows Lemos on trips across different countries and continents in search of major emerging technological and cultural trends. Within this context, the show anticipated, for example, discussions on instant payments and business models based on live streaming, even before these became a reality. Expresso Futuro has received international recognition, winning the TAL Award and the Gold Panda, an honor equivalent to the Emmy Awards in China.
Public Appointments and Board Memberships
Appointments In July 2003, he was appointed by the Secretariat of Economic Law and designated by the Brazilian Ministry of Justice as one of the four inaugural members of the Consumer Protection Commission for Electronic Commerce.
On December 30, 2006, he was named president of the global organization iCommons during a board meeting held in Berlin. He remained in the position for a two-year term.
On August 8, 2012, he was appointed a full member of the Social Communication Council, representing civil society in the body's third composition as an organ of the Brazilian National Congress.
On May 6, 2013, he was announced as Brazil's representative at the MIT Media Lab. He worked on research promoted by the Center for Civic Media.
In January 2015, he was recognized as a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
On July 15 of the same year, he was reappointed to the Social Communication Council for a second term, assuming the vice presidency for the biennium.
Also in 2015, he became a fellow of Ashoka. His official presentation took place on June 17, 2016, during a conference organized by the institution in São Paulo.
On January 3, 2022, he assumed the presidency of the Technology and Innovation Commission of the São Paulo section of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB-SP).
In 2025, he was appointed coordinator of the High-Level Council on Technology, Innovation, and Climate by the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), which proposed the creation of a public digital infrastructure for climate governance.