In Brazil, WhatsApp is more than a messaging app; it’s the digital town square. With its immense reach, the platform is a powerful tool for political mobilisation, but it also raises urgent questions about the spread of misinformation.
The Digital Heart of a Nation
To understand politics
in Brazil, one must first understand the role of WhatsApp. The app is installed on an estimated 99% of the nation's smartphones, making it a primary channel for communication, news consumption, and commerce. For years, many mobile carriers offered 'zero-rating' plans where using WhatsApp and Facebook didn't count against a user's data allowance. This practice cemented the app's dominance, especially for those on prepaid plans. As a result, politics in Brazil flows through WhatsApp just like everything else: forwarded into a family or community group by someone you know, which can make the information seem more credible, whether it is or not.
The Ghost of Elections Past
The 2018 presidential election served as a stark wake-up call. That year, the race was significantly influenced by campaigns that operated in the shadows of private WhatsApp groups, using paid mass-messaging services to spread disinformation. This tactic, which was difficult for outsiders and researchers to track, involved doctored photos and manipulated audio clips designed to discredit opponents. In response, both WhatsApp and Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE) began implementing changes. The platform banned hundreds of thousands of accounts for spam-like behavior and introduced a 'forwarded' tag to increase transparency. The TSE, meanwhile, started building a long-term strategy to combat the organised spread of false information.
From Private Groups to Public Channels
By the 2022 and subsequent elections, the landscape had shifted. Campaigns evolved from covert operations in private groups to overt mobilisation in public 'Channels', a newer WhatsApp feature that allows for one-way communication to millions of followers. One channel supporting Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, dubbed 'Lula's Army', amassed over 10 million followers, transforming supporters into a digital army given direct instructions to push hashtags and share specific content. This shift made campaign activities more visible, but it didn't eliminate the threat of misinformation. It simply changed the battlefield. Recognizing this, the TSE has since introduced rules requiring that large political channels linked to campaigns be officially registered with the court.
The Unending Fight Against Falsehoods
Brazil's electoral authorities have taken a proactive stance. The TSE has forged partnerships with major tech platforms, including Meta (WhatsApp's parent company), to create a framework for combating misleading content. A key initiative was the creation of chatbot tiplines on WhatsApp, where citizens can send suspicious content for verification by a coalition of fact-checking organizations. During the 2022 election period, these tiplines fielded hundreds of thousands of queries on topics ranging from voting procedures to claims of fraud and personal attacks on candidates. However, research shows that participating in political groups on messaging apps still correlates with a higher belief in electoral misinformation, indicating the scale of the challenge.
The Looming 2026 Election
As the 2026 election cycle approaches, new threats are emerging. The rise of generative AI adds another layer of complexity, with the potential for creating highly convincing 'deepfakes' and other synthetic media. The TSE has already updated its regulations to require that any campaign content created with AI must be clearly labeled as such. However, questions remain about the enforcement capabilities of both the platforms and the authorities. Both sides of the political spectrum have accused Meta of unequal treatment and algorithmic bias, with the TSE ordering the company to ensure a level playing field. The core dilemma is how to balance freedom of expression with the need to protect democratic integrity from a flood of organised disinformation.
