Welcome to our Tech Roundup, where we bring you the biggest stories in technology and innovation in Brazil and Latin America. This week: The impacts of climate misinformation and disinformation campaigns have never been more present.
Brazil’s southernmost state hit by tragedy and disinformation wave
Between late April and early May, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s southernmost state, was hit by unprecedented floods. More than 70 percent of the state’s almost 500 municipalities were affected, and nearly 70,000 people are still in temporary shelters. In addition to the natural impacts of the tragedy, authorities, volunteers, and the population are having to deal with a wave of disinformation and misinformation campaigns on social media.
State of play. In the first weeks of the tragedy, several false reports claimed that bureaucracy was holding up food, water, and clothing donations. Most came from civilians in or near the flooded areas (the majority of them supporters of the former president in one way or another) and right-wing social influencers.
Yes, but … Elected officials also spread some of them, as is the case with Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro and a representative of Steve Bannon’s far-far-right movement in Brazil.
By the numbers. As the catastrophe evolved and the situation became more serious, false narratives proliferated. A study by NetLab, an internet and social media research laboratory at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, identified at least eight fake news narratives on social media posts and ads. In general terms, they seek to:
- Assert that government response has been insufficient;
- Deny the relationship between the events and climate...
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