How False News Haunted the Brazilian Elections

Misinformation and social networks have sullied the country’s politics since at least 2010. This time, it was worse than ever.

Overview

The article details political narratives used during the 2018 Brazilian Presidential election focusing on how actors against the Workers' Party circumvented Facebook and Twitter fact-checkers by shifting content to Youtube and WhatsApp.

Why is this important?

The evolving techniques in distributing narrative materials combined with a coordinated distribution platform that moved misinformation through WhatsApp groups made disinformation in the 2018 Brazilian Presidential Election appear more credible to voters.