The problem, says Santos, is that platforms often fail to appreciate the potential impact of “anti-democratic” content. “They will take down content that incites violence,” she said. “But when people call for military intervention, for example, they don’t explicitly link military intervention to violence.”
While every expert who spoke to WIRED noted that disinformation in Brazil covers nearly all social platforms, as well as private messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram, Marco Ruediger, director School of communication at Fundação Getulio Vargas, says that more visual platforms like YouTube and Instagram tend to become popular vehicles for spreading misinformation. TikTok, while popular, seems to have less impact.
Images and videos can also be a way for bad guys to escape text-based censorship. “On YouTube, we very often see influencers take screenshots of posts and include them in their videos,” says Braga. “That was not flagged and taken down.” This means that even if a piece of content is removed on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, screenshots may still exist in YouTube videos that continue to circulate.
Braga also says that content moderation is uneven, that is usually strongest in Englishwhich means changed or dubbed content may continue to exist, even if the English version is removed.
Meta spokesman Corey Chambliss said the company had designated Brazil a high-risk location ahead of the October presidential election and had removed content encouraging people to invade government buildings. . He also said that Meta is treating the storming of the Brazilian Congress as an “infringing event” and is cooperating with Brazilian authorities.
YouTube spokesperson Ivy Choi said the platform is removing content that violates its guidelines, “including live streams and videos inciting violence” and preventing ads from running alongside content that incites violence. However, Santos was able to find Brazilian YouTube influencers who were streaming the uprising, who included a QR code that viewers could use to donate to the cause. insurgency using the Brazilian payment gateway Pix.
Ella Irwin, Twitter’s vice president of trust and safety, said her team has “removed content that violates our policies, including any content that attempts to incite violence”. Irwin declined to say what steps Twitter took to protect the platform during and after the Brazilian presidential election, but she stated that Twitter is “prioritising handling any legal requests for information related to the platform.” in connection with any criminal investigation”.
Equis Research’s Braga says that any steps taken by platforms, or even lawmakers, in Brazil or abroad, will not be enough to prevent history from repeating itself. “Disinformation is a borderless phenomenon with limited jurisdiction,” Braga said. “Countries only have jurisdiction over their own borders, and social media companies only have jurisdiction over their own platforms.”
