RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The presiding justice of the Supreme Court (STF), Dias Toffoli, said on Friday, August 30th, that the judiciary and Congress have been attacked by fake news disseminated by social networks.
“The fake news aims exactly to spread fear, to sow hatred among people. They come to divide, not to build. And put at risk, today, democratic values,” he said, speaking at the Metalworkers Union of São Paulo.
Another target of the lies, according to the president of the STF, is Brazil’s labor court system. “If they lie that justice is expensive, that it serves no purpose, what do they want to do? They want to make you not believe. But, when you are fired, who will guarantee your rights? The labor courts”, he emphasized.
Toffoli said he is committed to defending the court system having exclusive jurisdiction over all labor claims. “I have traveled all over Brazil and visited all the regional labor courts. Because in a country that, unfortunately, is so unequal socially, in which even complying with the laws is so difficult, often the need for the existence of labor courts is especially important to ensure the rights of all of us,” he said.
Citing philosopher Hannah Arendt, the Justice stated that the purpose of disseminating false information is to cause widespread incredulity in society. “Misinformation removes the ability to discern the real and the unreal, generating a growing environment of distrust, discouragement, and disbelief,” he said.
To combat the problem, Toffoli proposed there should be specific education on the use of new technologies. “The main tool for confronting false news is the education of society for the conscious and positive use of information technology,” he said.