Organizations ask the Public Prosecutor’s Office and digital platforms for actions to combat fake news

In a notice, 17 civil society organizations stated that safeguarding democracy required an assertive attack on misinformation

Foto: Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil

On Monday (24), seventeen civil society organizations, including Conectas, published a notice in which they defend combatting fake news as a pillar in defending Brazilian democracy. The organizations asked the Public Prosecutor´s Office and digital platforms to “strengthen their activities and to actively search for solutions for this problem which is having a serious impact on Brazilian democracy”.

Furthermore, according to the signatories of the letter, the spread of fake news before the second round of the elections hindered public debate on matters of relevance in the country. 

“The large-scale spread of misinformation in the final run-up to the second round of voting affected the normality and integrity of the election process, and could have caused irreparable damage to the electoral process and as a consequence to Brazilian democracy”, according to the organizations.