Brazil voters bombarded with misinformation ahead of presidential run-off

Brazilian voters are being bombarded by online misinformation less than a week before they pick their next leader.

People on social media say, wrongly, that the leftist candidate in Brazil's presidential election plans to close down churches if elected. There are lies that Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wants to let men use public school restrooms next to little girls. 

And they are falsely alleging that right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro has made comments confessing to cannibalism.

The onslaught of fake rumours helped prompt Brazil last week to enact what some experts call the strictest limits on speech in the country's young democracy.

It's a conundrum posed by social media across the world, especially in countries wrangling with the intersection between modern technology and free speech. Brazil has adopted a particularly heavy-handed approach.

Experts say that in doing so, authorities have raised questions about the country’s commitment to free speech.

"What is happening in Brazil, on Facebook, on YouTube and other platforms looks awfully similar to what was happening in the US around the 2020 election," said Vicky Wyatt, a campaign director at the US-based activist group SumOfUs.

"An individual post might not have that much reach, but cumulatively over time, having this constant drip-drip has negative consequences."

Far-right internet army

Overall, conservative channels produce more content — and more false, problematic content, too.

According to a tally by the Igarape institute, in the eight days before and after the October 2 first-round vote, far-right YouTube channels attracted 99 million views while leftist channels had 28 million views.

Political analysts and the opposition have expressed fears that Bolsonaro's internet army may help him challenge the results if he loses, by spreading unfounded allegations of fraud.

The Superior Electoral Court, the country's top electoral authority, announced on Thursday that it would be banning "false or seriously de-contextualised" content that "affects the integrity of the electoral process." 

No request from a prosecutor or complainant is necessary for the court to take action.

In the days leading up to, and just after, the second round of the election on October 30, social media companies like YouTube and Meta – owner of Facebook and Instagram — will be given just an hour, far less time than before, to remove problematic content.

Platforms that do not comply will face fines of up to $28,000 per hour and possibly be blocked on Brazilian servers for up to 24 hours.

Disinformation war

Bolsonaro has long claimed the country's electronic voting system has been used to commit fraud — though he has repeatedly failed to produce proof. He has cited the fact that hackers once penetrated the electoral commission's computer system.

The electoral court has said the hackers didn't gain access to any vote-counting data.

As a result, false or misleading information on the reliability of the country's electronic machines has also spread widely on social media.

The Supreme Court and some of its justices have also been victims of the disinformation war, with one post-threatening violence against the daughters of justices. Many others have asked that the institution be shut down.

Last year, the court opened an inquiry into an online network that it accused of spreading defamatory news and threats against its justices, with police executing more than two dozen searches and seizure warrants.

Both campaigns this year have filed complaints with the electoral tribunal alleging disinformation — and have won court orders to have it blocked or removed.

Complaints filed by the electoral court with online platforms have gone up 1,671 percent compared to the 2020 local elections, the electoral tribunal said last week.