[liberationtech] Fake News Probe Reveals Brazilian Government’s ‘Office of Hate’

[Yosem Companys]

An “office of hate” run by presidential staff in Brazil routinely
spreads misinformation and maligns the opposition on social networks,
an investigation into fake news has revealed, ZDNet reports. A former
government leader in the Congress told the investigating committee
about the “fake news central” outfit, based next to the presidential
office in Brasília, which runs online communication with supporters.
The "Office of Hate," which is orchestrated by the sons of president
Jair Bolsonaro, produces daily global and national news reports and
“sentiment analyses,” which are used to guide decision-making, as well
as extensive use of bots to spread misinformation online. About 20,000
reais ($4,800) of public cash was paid every time bots were used to
amplify the messages from the president's office. There are almost 1.3
million bots following the president's Twitter account alone. The
committee will request the IPs of the computers used by the named
staff to find evidence of whether taxpayer money was being used to
spread fake news online.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/fake-news-probe-in-brazil-exposes-office-of-hate-within-government/