Brasília (AFP) – Like millions of Brazilians, @mara, a fervent fan of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, has turned to the messaging app Telegram as the country heads toward a deeply divisive election: "There's no censorship here," she says.
Similar to the 2018 election that brought Bolsonaro to power, this October's edition is shaping up as an all-out war on social media, with disinformation as a powerful weapon.
Bolsonaro, who has had various posts blocked on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for violating their rules on misinformation, is eagerly encouraging his base to follow him on Telegram as the vote nears.
Founded by Russian-born tech entrepreneur Pavel Durov in 2013, Telegram is a crypted messaging app with virtually no restrictions on what users can say in messages.
That has won it fans in Bolsonaro's camp, where other social media companies face accusations of censoring right-wing views.
It has also earned it scrutiny from the Brazilian authorities, notably the Superior Electoral Tribunal, which has tried in vain to get Telegram to cooperate in fighting disinformation in the run-up to the elections.
"Here, you can express your opinions freely," said @mara, a 60-year-old teacher who asked her real name not be used.
The pressure on Telegram, she said, is "RI-DI-CU-LOUS."
"That's a DICTATORSHIP, it only happens in countries governed by dictators," she told AFP via the app, which has been hugely successful in Brazil, downloaded on 53 percent of all cell phones.
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