Almost all smartphones in Brazil have WhatsApp installed on them.
While the messaging app helps ensure easy communication within and outside of Brazil, its widespread use also facilitated the proliferation of disinformation in the lead-up to the country’s 2018 presidential election. During that time, Patricia Campos Mello, a journalist with Folha de São Paulo, reported closely on the mass dissemination of disinformation on WhatsApp.
Websites that facilitate disinformation often employ a combination of revenue sources. By pinpointing streams of profit, journalists can find the players and trace the networks responsible for funding false content online. Identifying those who perpetuate disinformation is integral to debunking lies and uncovering the truth.
Las “noticias falsas” (“fake news” en inglés) no son nuevas. De hecho, la historia registrada de las "guerras de desinformación" se remonta a la antigua Roma; pero el siglo 21 ha visto la utilización de la información como arma en una escala sin precedentes. La nueva y poderosa tecnología hace que la manipulación y la fabricación del contenido sea simple, y las redes sociales amplifican dramáticamente las falsedades que venden los gobiernos antidemocráticos, los políticos populistas y las entidades corporativas deshonestas.
A new resource published by ICFJ plots the evolution of the current crisis on an international timeline. We encourage anyone who uses the learning module to augment this timeline with examples from their own country’s history, adding new entries as the crisis evolve.
