Brazilian left-wing politicians and activists want to maintain the online mobilization that helped Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s campaign in the presidential runoff, while advancing regulation of social media platforms. Lula also signaled support for regulation in his victory speech, saying digital crimes should be treated like crimes in the real world.
Federal deputy André Janones, who led the WhatsApp group known as the “Lula Army,” said the network would remain active as a tool of popular pressure during Lula’s next term. Janones told Folha that it could help counter the right’s majority in Congress and support the president’s ability to govern. The group brought together more than 10 million people, according to the report.
Lula credited Janones with helping sustain campaign morale and described him as a general. The president also said he had begun using a smartphone at the urging of Janones and other allies, and promised to communicate directly with the public rather than rely on intermediaries.
Other progressive politicians who gained prominence online during the runoff also called for continued digital organizing. Federal deputy-elect Guilherme Cortez said the left had been slow to recognize social media’s importance in political contests, but had regained ground during the campaign. He argued that mobilization and platform regulation should go hand in hand.
Cortez said one possible regulatory approach could let users turn off algorithmic recommendations. Under that option, feeds would show posts from people and accounts users follow, rather than content selected by platforms to hold their attention. He said the details would need to be discussed with other stakeholders.
The campaign featured accusations that digital platforms treated the candidates unequally. Folha reported that internal Meta messages acknowledged harm to Lula accounts and benefits to accounts supporting his opponent, Flávio Bolsonaro; Meta denied interference. The newspaper also reported differences in how the company’s artificial intelligence tool responded to image-generation requests involving the candidates.
Lula said in his victory speech that the election had involved interference through digital platforms and that they would need to be regulated. He also criticized billion-dollar companies that, in his view, do not pay taxes while seeking to influence Brazil’s election. His government had previously worked on proposals to regulate platforms, but did not make progress on the issue during his term, according to the report.
Sources: Folha Poder.