Facebook's WhatsApp Flooded with Fake News in Brazil Election

Posted Monday, October 22, 2018 9:09 am

Anthony Boadle | Reuters

Facebook Inc’s popular messaging service WhatsApp has become a political battleground in Brazil’s most polarized election in decades, raising concerns that it is distorting debate beyond the public eye.

Facebook has touted efforts to crack down on misinformation on its main platform ahead of the Oct. 28 presidential run-off between right-winger Jair Bolsonaro and leftist Fernando Haddad. But WhatsApp has been flooded with falsehoods and conspiracy theories.

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Facebook's WhatsApp Flooded with Fake News in Brazil Election

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