A new SumOfUs report dives into Meta ads and posts expressing violent rhetoric and false claims.
The report compares it to the spread of "Stop the Steal" claims before the Capitol riot in the US.
The report comes ahead of Brazil's elections in October.
Meta has profited off the spread of ads and posts propagating false claims about Brazilian election security and candidates, a new report from a social media watchdog agency claims, comparing it to the rise of "Stop the Steal" rhetoric that led to the deadly Capitol Riot on January 6.
The report, "Stop the Steal 2.0: How Meta is subverting Brazilian democracy," was published in early September by SumOfUs, a nonprofit rights organization that has previously published research calling attention to sexual harassment in Meta's metaverse platforms.
The report comes ahead of Brazil's first round of voting in October, as well as Brazil's Independence Day which took place on Wednesday, and which far-right President Jair Bolsanaro used to rile up partisan support ahead of the elections.
Bolsonaro, who has previously made false claims about election integrity and said he might not accept the election results this year, told his supporters to "swear to give my life for freedom," and "take to the streets for the last time" on Independence Day. The Brazilian leader is currently losing in the polls to opposition candidate Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva, who previously served as Brazil's President from 2003 to 2010.
SumOfUs' analysis...
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