Twitter Deletes Numerous Accounts Supporting Brazilian President for 'Spreading Fake News'

President Bolsonaro (right) and former Congressman Jepherson (Source: Brazilian Chamber of Deputies)

[Asia Economy Reporter Onyu Lim] Social media platform Twitter has deleted accounts of supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, the President of Brazil, related to fake news.

According to Brazilian media on the 24th (local time), Twitter deleted all accounts of individuals under investigation by the Brazilian Federal Supreme Court for spreading fake news. The deleted accounts include about 20 people such as former Congressman Roberto Jefferson of the Brazilian Labour Party (PTB), businessman Luciano Hang, and influencer Allan dos Santos.

The Twitter account deletions were made following a ruling by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is handling the fake news dissemination case. Since March last year, the Brazilian Federal Police have been conducting investigations into those spreading fake news with the approval of the Federal Supreme Court.

The Federal Police believe these individuals spread fake news online to attack and threaten high-ranking officials in the legislative and judicial branches, including Supreme Court justices. At the end of May, the Federal Police also conducted raids on 17 people close to President Bolsonaro in political and business circles, as well as famous bloggers.

Subsequently, on the 8th, Facebook deleted 35 accounts, 14 pages, and 38 Instagram accounts related to Bolsonaro’s son, close aides, and supporters. These accounts are suspected of manipulating public opinion by using fictitious personas even before Bolsonaro won the 2018 presidential election.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.