Brazil’s TSE partners with WhatsApp to block spread of what is considered fake news

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court (TSE) on Thursday, January 27, closed a partnership with WhatsApp to implement measures to counter the spread of what is called fake news, or in Brazil’s case rather undesired news, in the months leading up to the elections.

Given the track record of the TSE and Chief Justice Luis Roberto Barroso, it remains to be seen whether this is not simply the introduction of good old censorship, simply with a new name.

One of the measures will be the creation of a virtual assistant to fight this undesired news, in addition to supporting the electoral process in Brazil during this year’s October elections. According to the TSE, Luis Roberto Barroso met with the head of WhatsApp Will Cathcart, to discuss these measures.

In addition to the importance of the partnership and the ongoing dialogue with Brazilian authorities, specific points of the anti-disinformation program were addressed, which has relied on the company’s cooperation since 2019.

Also according to the TSE, the partnership will assist the institution in communicating with voters, in addition to easing access to Electoral Justice services, such as consulting the polling place and accessing information about candidates.

It will also create a channel for complaints to report WhatsApp accounts suspected of mass messaging, a practice prohibited by the electoral legislation and the app’s Terms of Service.

Another measure in preparation for the elections is WhatsApp’s commitment to hold dialogue sessions and training courses for Electoral Regional Court staff on how to fight disinformation.

In addition, the tool also announced that it will not implement new features in Brazil that could significantly impact the platform’s use until the end of the elections.

The partnership announced between TSE and WhatsApp is part of the Countering Disinformation Program, which became permanent in August 2021.

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