A man demonstrates how he enters his Facebook page as he works on his computer at a restaurant in Brasilia, Brazil, Thursday, Jan. 4, 2018. Facebook is announcing initiatives in Brazil to counter false news reports that are expected to proliferate as the country heads toward October elections. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Brazil’s combination of political polarisation and passion for social media offers fertile ground for fake news in the run-up to this year’s elections, leading fact checkers have warned.
Claire Wardle, a Harvard fellow and the director of an organisation that coordinated fact-checking efforts during the French and UK elections, said political division combined with widespread use of WhatsApp, a closed-network messaging app, leaves Brazilians particularly vulnerable to misinformation ahead of this year’s elections. She is convinced the country will be a “fascinating” case study because, in some ways, it is more susceptible to propaganda than the US.
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