President of the Court says that false content can affect voting and compromise confidence in the electoral process
The (Superior Electoral Court) advises voters to pay extra attention to content accessed and shared on the internet, especially in an election year. The recommendation is to check the origin of the information and check whether it is supported by reliable and legitimate sources. The prior conference reduces the risk of misinformation and contributes to the conscious exercise of citizenship.
The misinformation, the fake news and the deepfakes have become recurring phenomena in the digital environment. According to the TSE, the circulation of false content about the progress and legitimacy of the electoral process can compromise confidence in the elections and affect democracy itself.
In public statements and votes in plenary sessions, the president of the what, minister Cármen Lúcia, has warned about the impact of this type of content. “Misinformation distorts reality, deceives citizens and undermines the constitutional right to information. It can lead someone to vote believing in a falsehood and then realize that they would never have made that choice if they had known the truth”he stated.
In a seminar held at the Court on the topic, the minister declared that the Electoral Court works in partnership with other public bodies to face situations related to this year’s electoral process. “We have new challenges, challenges that are the same as always, but even unprecedented challenges, issues that never existed. One of these challenges is misinformation”these.
The discussion coincides with Safe Internet Day, an initiative created in 2004 by the European network Insafe. This year, the mobilization takes place on the 10th and 11th of February. In Brazil, the date began to be celebrated in 2008, and the TSE has participated in activities since 2017. The objective is to encourage responsible and conscious use of the network.
Among the guidelines published by the Court on its social networks are checking the source before sharing content, being careful with pages that imitate official Electoral Court channels and paying attention to links received in messages. The agency also reinforces that it does not charge for services or assistance provided to the population and recommends the use of strong passwords.
The TSE’s STI (Information Technology Secretariat) informs that it adopts technological resources to ensure effective, free and safe access to the services offered on the Court’s official portal.
With information from
