Organizations release second statement with recommendations for digital platforms
The document outlines some problems with the policies of digital platforms during the 2022 elections and recommends changes
Foto: Edilson Rodrigues/Agência Senado
Over one hundred civil society organizations linked to the group Democracia Pede Socorro (Democracy is Crying for Help) published their second analysis statement on the role of the digital platforms in safeguarding the integrity of the 2022 elections.
The document stresses that the electoral integrity policies put in place for the last election were insufficient and limited and did not prevent the spread of content concerning the overthrow of the government and inciting violence.
Conectas, Instituto Marielle Franco, Oxfam Brasil and Observatório do Clima are some of the organizations participating in the platform.
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The statement also contains some general points, analysis and outlines of critical issues for each platform and twenty-two demands for changes in order to consolidate more effective measures on digital platforms against content that incites attacks on democracy in Brazil, political violence and climate and socioenvironmental denial.
Some of the changes recommended in the document:
- The inclusion of the phenomenon of political violence – particularly gender and race – as a priority in the policies of all the platforms during and between elections. There is a need to validate political violence as a specific social phenomenon, moving away from the umbrella concepts of bullying and hate talk.
- Publicity campaigns to inform the rules and how to act when a female candidate is the target of political violence in terms of race and gender and continuous awareness raising in the community on this matter.
- Treating the fight against denialism regarding climate and the socioenvironmental agenda as being of concern to the public interest.
- Not allowing the spread of anti-scientific content on the climate and climate change.
- Treating unfounded allegations of fraud at the ballot box and election fraud as deceitful information that harms the democratic process.
- Adopting specific policies or specifying existing policies to prevent calls to insurgency against democratic order or to interfere in the peaceful transition of power, even when there is no incitement to violence.
