In Brazil, information flows within circles of trust. Your family is one circle; your close friends are another; your professional colleagues who have earned your trust form another. Within these circles, information moves relatively freely—people share what they know, expect others to share in return, and treat shared information as belonging to the group. Outside these circles, the same information is protected.
This is not secrecy for its own sake; it is recognition that information shared with trusted insiders should not flow to outsiders without reason. When working with Brazilians, understand that access to information signals that you have entered a trust circle.
If you are not receiving information, you may still be outside. Building relationship—not demanding disclosure—is how you move inside.
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