The topic of fake news has frequently been discussed around the world. The concern over the fake news was highlighted during the United States election in which presidential candidate Donald Trump was elected to the presidency. Fake news has grown to become a concern for Brazil during this Presidential Election year, and the TSE (Tribunal Superior Eleitoral) has moved to address the issue. They have discussed the issue with specialists and are working hard implementing forms and tool that will lessen the impact that fake news would have on the electoral process. However, Bruno Fagali feels that this has barely been addressed and a new more direct threat has arises: the deep fakes.
Studies show that since 2010 Brazil’s elections have been affected by fake news. A study of the 2014 Presidential Election found that bots created by the candidates were used to spread fake news about their opponents. The creation of false information and the manipulation of the public is not a new tactic for politicians but since the rise of the internet. Bruno Fagali thinks that with the publics increasing use of social platforms it has become easier to spread false information. The TSE has created a task force called the Consultative Council on Internet and Elections. The task force researches and studies the impact of fake news, offers opinions on topics submitted by the President of the TSE, and works to improve standards.
Fagali reports that the Consultative Council on Internet and Elections met with Howard Marshall and FBI agent, who is the Director of the Cybercrime Division, and they spoke of his experience in the U.S dealing with fake news in the elections. Fagali reports that TSE listed the spread of fake news as a challenge to control during the 2018 elections. Paulo Tonet Cargo stressed the importance of punishing the people responsible for spreading fake news. A new concern is the rise of the deep fake who use videos to spread fake news and manipulate the public perception. The deep fakes have been linked to video manipulation using celebrities faces and spreading false information about a celebrity. The use of fake news impacts people around the world, and the authorities are just starting to look for a way to control the spread of fake news.