Explaining Brazil #134: Who tried to hack the Brazilian election?

---

In the previous episode of this show, we talked about what Brazil can teach the U.S. about holding elections. Besides making voting an easier process — with election day on Sundays and free public transportation available — the Brazilian system is also 100 percent electronic and almost completely fraud-proof. And we know the full results of the election in a couple of hours.

But then came Election Day in Brazil — and for a moment, we feared we might have to issue a retraction.

After a tepid campaign, Election Day ended up being quite eventful. And this week we will explain what happened.

Listen and subscribe to our podcast from your mobile device:

Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Deezer

On this episode:

• Marcelo Cárgano is a digital and data privacy law expert at Abe Giovanini Advogados. He has degrees in Journalism and Law from the University of São Paulo. Mr. Cárgano was a Monbukagashou fellowship researcher at the Osaka University in Japan between 2010 and 2013, where he obtained his Master’s Degree. He currently does research on Brazil’s data protection legislation.

Background reading:

• Before hackers tried to take Brazil’s electoral system off the air, Brazil’s second-highest court was shut down after digital attacks — putting the Brazilian government on alert.
• Legal scholars Michael Mohallem and Pedro Campos explain why you know you can trust Brazil’s electronic voting system.
• Delays, hackers, and surprises marked Brazil’s 2020 municipal election.
• What we learned from the election results.
• For a foreign audience, mayoral races may seem too parochial, but they actually have a significant impact on national politics. And what happens in November 2020 will have ripple effects on the 2022 presidential election.
• Municipal elections highlight challenges facing Brazil’s left-wing, writes Débora Álvares.
• Listen to Explaining Brazil episode #113: Covid-19 made Brazilian elections more exposed to fake news.
• Brazil’s epidemic of political violence gets worse ahead of municipal elections, writes Renato Alves.

Do you have a suggestion for our next Explaining Brazil podcast? Drop us a line at podcast@brazilian.report

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook.