The 2024 Brazilian municipal elections are bringing local issues to the spotlight in 5, 568 municipalities across the country. These elections are a key opportunity for candidates to strengthen their local influence and win back support in their communities. National politics, the economy, and other issues like public health and education, significantly impact local elections in the country. And, as anticipated, the use of digital tools is also changing the way campaigns are run, offering new ways to connect with voters while also increasing the risk of disinformation and hate speech.
The current political and digital landscape sparked the development of this report ‘Election Integrity in the Digital Age: Online Risks and Recommendations for the Brazilian 2024 Municipal Elections‘. It explores vulnerabilities in four key areas in Brazil—state, politics, media, and society—to identify potential risks and draws up recommendations for key actors. With municipal elections occurring in the same period as national presidential votes, these elections will not only highlight local issues but also serve as a barometer for public sentiment towards the current administration, potentially influencing future national politics.
Online Campaign Risks
Hate Speech: During the local election campaign, online hate speech may escalate into physical violence against marginalised groups and disrupt respectful political discourse, undermining democratic engagement.
Disinformation: The legitimacy of the electoral process expects to be challenged by disinformation campaigns, leading to: voter confusion, distrust in election outcomes and democratic institutions, dissemination of misleading information, and manipulation of public opinion.
Political Ads: Despite regulations, political ads remain as a platform for disseminating disinformation, providing misleading information about candidates and issues. Meanwhile advanced data analytics enable hyper-targeted ads manipulating voter perceptions and raising ethical and privacy issues.
Recommendations to key actors
Electoral Authorities
- Strengthen Oversight and Training: Provide comprehensive training to electoral bodies and improve monitoring capabilities to ensure that new and existing regulations – against online risks, such as hate speech and disinformation – are implemented effectively.
- Promote Transparency and Voter Education: Increase transparency in electoral processes and actively engage in voter education campaigns.
Digital Platforms
- Enhanced Content Moderation: Enforce the use of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) tools, alongside human moderation, to effectively identify and mitigate hate speech, disinformation, and polarising content.
- Algorithm Adjustments: Adjust algorithms to reduce the visibility of misleading or harmful content and promote diverse viewpoints and reliable news sources to counteract the effects of “echo chambers”.
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs)
- Advocacy and Public Engagement: Lead efforts to advocate for stronger regulations on digital campaigning and engage the public through media literacy programmes to provide guidance on how to identify misinformation and understand its impact on democracy.
- Research and Collaboration: Engage in continuous research to understand the effects of online risks, such as polarisation, and collaborate with electoral authorities and digital platforms to develop targeted interventions.
This report is part of the Media and Democracy project funded by the European Union in partnership with FGV ECMI – the School of Communication, Media and Information, the factchecking platform Agência Lupa, the Diversity and Inclusion Program and the Center for Technology and Society (FGV Direito Rio).