TSE expands police power to stop fake news

The matter was discussed yesterday with representatives of the main technology companies in the country. In the meeting with the platforms, Moraes had complained about the increase in the dissemination of false information related to the presidential dispute and the delay in removing this type of content.

Moraes demands inspection of fake news in a meeting with digital platforms and says that the 2nd round is “a disaster”

The president of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), Alexandre de Moraes, met this Wednesday (19) with representatives of the main digital platforms. To those responsible for the most popular social networks in Brazil, he said that their performance was “reasonably good in the first round”, but in the second round the misinformation is “a disaster”.

The resolution also provides for a one-hour deadline for removing fake news from the air on election day. The fine for anyone who fails to comply with the court decision will be R$100 per hour from the date of notification from the court. The court's plenary also decided that channels that systematically disseminate disinformation may be temporarily suspended.

Paid advertising cut

The TSE also decided to ban the promotion of electoral propaganda on the internet, two days before the vote and one day after, to avoid accusations of abuse of political or economic power by the campaigns.

According to Moraes, there was “an exponential increase in the monetization of blogs and interactive websites that receive money to carry out this electoral propaganda” even during the period prohibited by law.

Moraes said he will invite presidential candidates Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and Jair Bolsonaro (PL) to discuss the escalation of disinformation on networks and political violence growing, with ten days left before the end of the dispute.

Critics

The TSE's actions have been the target of criticism from entities such as the National Newspaper Association (ANJ) and the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalists (Abraji), which consider some of them forms of censorship of press freedom.

Until last week, the Court ordered the removal of 334 posts involving the presidential campaign on digital platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram and Gettr, popular among adherents of far-right ideologies.

According to Estadão, 43 decisions had as main targets publications from President Jair Bolsonaro's campaign. This Thursday, supporters of President Bolsonaro announced that, as determined by the TSE, the candidate for re-election will waste practically all of his time in the 30-second commercial insertions for the right of reply granted to Lula.

Source: Estadão Content