A wave of false information about a new economic measure targeting Brazil's popular PIX instant money transfer system led to a political crisis and a complete reversal by the government. The incident highlights the growing influence of disinformation, particularly on economic issues, in Brazil.
An avalanche of disinformation surrounding a new economic measure in Brazil proved so difficult for the government to manage that they completely reversed course this week. The political fiasco centered around PIX , Brazil 's beloved instant money transfer system used millions of times daily for everything from paying bills to giving money to beggars on the street.
The trouble began when new government rules took effect on January 1, including PIX in the institutions whose financial transactions would be tracked to combat tax evasion. This is standard practice for traditional banks, but a communication crisis quickly engulfed the government, forcing them to revoke the rule entirely.A flood of disinformation spread claiming that PIX transactions would be taxed, and the opposition, including former right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro, exploited the confusion by portraying the measure as an attack on the poor. Nikolas Ferreira, a 28-year-old social media star-turned-lawmaker for the right-wing Liberal Party, released a video denouncing the measure, which garnered over 300 million views. While he admitted that 'PIX will not be taxed,' he added, 'I don't doubt that it could be.' Ferreira claimed, 'The Lula government will monitor your spending. The people who will be most affected by this measure will be the workers, who will be monitored as if they were major tax evaders.'This fake news crisis unfolded as Brazil's government is locked in a battle with social media giant Meta over their weakening of controls on disinformation on platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Last year, the Supreme Court blocked Elon Musk's X platform for 40 days for failing to comply with court orders against online disinformation. A survey by the Quaest polling institute showed that 87 percent of respondents had heard that the government would tax PIX transactions, and 67 percent believed it. The government attempted to counter the misinformation with denials from tax authorities and Finance Minister Fernando Haddad, and even a video of Lula making a PIX payment to his favorite football team. However, the damage was already done. Not only did the government reverse the measure on Thursday, but they issued a provisional measure prohibiting the taxation of PIX. Opposition members praised Ferreira's role in forcing the government to backtrack, highlighting the power of disinformation in swaying public opinion.Disinformation 'is humanity's greatest evil' and 'can cause profound damage,' said new Communication Minister Sidonio Palmeira upon taking office. Lula's campaign strategist from his 2022 election victory, Palmeira's appointment was seen as an attempt to improve the government's communication of its political achievements after a series of setbacks, with a focus on combating fake news. Local media reported that a marketing expert who managed Bolsonaro's unsuccessful 2022 presidential campaign helped strategize the response to the PIX debacle, choosing Ferreira to lead the attack.Andre Eler, technical director of Bites consultancy, stated that the government recognized they 'would not be able to reverse the extent of the damage caused by this shoddy communication.' He added, 'The government in general is poorly informed about what happens on social media. And it took too long to respond.' This allowed the opposition to exploit public fears 'that this is a tax-loving government,' said Eler. Lula's government has been grappling with a growing public debt, and concerns about spending have pushed the real currency to record lows against the dollar. A column in Friday's O Globo newspaper noted, 'Since taking office, the Lula government has sustained part of the increase in public spending with a rare desire to collect taxes.' It added, 'In a country with one of the highest tax burdens in the world, fake news about yet another tax quickly gains credibility.' Breno Lima Moreira, a researcher linked to the Central Bank, said that while false content in Brazil was initially very focused on politics, economic issues have seen 'the greatest growth' in recent years
Disinformation Brazil PIX Lula Government Opposition Taxes Social Media
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