The Superior Electoral Court (TSE) and WhatsApp are discussing new ways to fight disinformation, aiming to support the electoral process in Brazil.
The president of the TSE, Minister Luís Roberto Barroso, held a meeting with Will Cathcart, head of the application, this Thursday (27). The collaboration between the Court and the messenger has been going on since 2019.
According to the statement, a channel for reporting mass shootings of messages will be created, in addition to the development of an official virtual assistant (chatbot) for the TSE on WhatsApp, which will facilitate, for example, access to Electoral Justice services, such as polling location and information about candidates.
In the last elections, in 2020, WhatsApp and the Court had already entered into a partnership to avoid mass shootings. Through an online form, it was possible to report accounts to the TSE during the electoral period.
The app banned 1,042 accounts at the time.
In this Thursday’s conversation, WhatsApp informed that it will not implement new features in Brazil that could significantly impact the use of the platform until the end of the elections.
Training courses will also be given to employees of the Regional Electoral Courts (TREs) on combating disinformation on the platform and mechanisms designed to facilitate communication with the authorities.
Regarding the agreement, Minister Barroso said that “although some degree of state regulation is inevitable, the ideal model must come from concrete measures and policies from the platforms themselves. This can be done through clear and transparent rules in its terms of use and services, as well as through partnerships with public bodies, when necessary”.
Reference: CNN Brasil
