Attorney-general vows to redouble efforts against fake news in Brazil

Brazil’s Attorney-General Jorge Messias said his office should have a more proactive role in combating misinformation and attacks on democracy in Brazil. “We will not be silent,” he pledged Tuesday (Mar. 7) at an event celebrating his agency’s 30th anniversary in Brasília.

After the January 8 riots, when major government headquarters were ransacked, Messias carried out what he called a “reshuffle of responsibilities” among his officials and created a department dedicated to the defense of democracy.

The National Prosecutor’s Office for the Defense of Democracy should monitor fake news and inaccurate information about institutions or policies, and take legal action whenever democracy is deemed to be undermined.