---
title: Brazil 2018 and 2022:WhatsApp blasts, removal orders against both campaigns, and the electoral court's new powers
url: https://propagandaarchive.org/case-studies/brazil-elections-2018-2022-whatsapp/
description: 'in two Brazilian presidential races, the electoral court ordered posts and ads taken down on both sides: in 2018 a "kit gay" claim against Fernando…'
section: Case studies
---

![Illustration: a dossier collage of a vintage television wall broadcasting archival news footage, surrounded by press clippings and film reels.](https://propagandaarchive.org/static/generated/hero-watch-briefs.jpg)

[Case studies](https://propagandaarchive.org/case-studies/)

# Brazil 2018 and 2022:WhatsApp blasts, removal orders against both campaigns, and the electoral court's new powers

At a glance

In two Brazilian presidential races, the electoral court ordered posts and ads taken down on both sides: in 2018 a "kit gay" claim against Fernando Haddad and PT ads about Jair Bolsonaro and torture…

- **When:** October 18, 2018
- **Actor:** Jair Bolsonaro's campaigns…
- **Target:** Brazilian voters on WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and TV, with evangelical voters a named…
- **Confidence:** **documented** Primary documents, court records, official disclosures
- **Techniques:** [Flooding the zone](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/flooding-the-zone/) [Fear appeal](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/fear-appeal/) [Name-calling](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/name-calling/) [Card stacking](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/card-stacking/) [Outrage bait](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/outrage-bait/)

Full details

- **Actor:** Jair Bolsonaro's campaigns (PSL 2018, PL 2022), his sons and allied politicians, and businesses reported as paying for bulk WhatsApp messaging; Fernando Haddad's 2018 campaign and Lula's 2022 campaign (coalitions O Povo Feliz de Novo and Brasil da Esperança), PT leaders and allied deputy André Janones; Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE) as the ruling body
- **Target:** Brazilian voters on WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and TV, with evangelical voters a named target of several 2022 claims

On this page

- [What happened](https://propagandaarchive.org/case-studies/brazil-elections-2018-2022-whatsapp/#what-happened)
- [How it works](https://propagandaarchive.org/case-studies/brazil-elections-2018-2022-whatsapp/#how-it-works)
- [Then and now](https://propagandaarchive.org/case-studies/brazil-elections-2018-2022-whatsapp/#then-and-now)
- [Positions on the record](https://propagandaarchive.org/case-studies/brazil-elections-2018-2022-whatsapp/#positions-on-the-record)
- [Same-method test](https://propagandaarchive.org/case-studies/brazil-elections-2018-2022-whatsapp/#same-method-test)
- [How to spot it](https://propagandaarchive.org/case-studies/brazil-elections-2018-2022-whatsapp/#how-to-spot-it)
- [Images](https://propagandaarchive.org/case-studies/brazil-elections-2018-2022-whatsapp/#images)
- [Sources](https://propagandaarchive.org/case-studies/brazil-elections-2018-2022-whatsapp/#sources)

On this page

> *Content note: this page quotes sexual accusations against candidates, including accusations involving children, and the label "kit gay". They are quoted as campaigns and posts used them, not as findings.*

**In one line:** in two Brazilian presidential races, the electoral court ordered posts and ads taken down on both sides: in 2018 a "kit gay" claim against Fernando Haddad and PT ads about Jair Bolsonaro and torture; in 2022 posts tying Lula to organized crime and church closures and posts tying Bolsonaro to pedophilia and a minimum-wage cut. Between the two races the court found that bulk WhatsApp messaging had helped the 2018 Bolsonaro ticket but did not annul it, and in October 2022 it gave itself wider power to order removals.

## What happened

- **28 August 2018.** On TV Globo's *Jornal Nacional*, Bolsonaro holds up the book *Aparelho Sexual e Cia.* and says it was part of a "kit gay" for schools. Aos Fatos finds the book was never bought by the Education Ministry for schools. The "kit gay" name refers to *Escola sem Homofobia*, an NGO-made teacher kit that President Dilma Rousseff suspended in May 2011 before it reached schools.
- **Late September 2018.** A Facebook video claims the PT handed out penis-shaped "erotic baby bottles" in daycare centres. AFP, Aos Fatos and Comprova rate it false.
- **15 October 2018 (Bolsonaro side).** TSE justice Carlos Horbach orders Facebook and YouTube to remove six posts by Bolsonaro and his sons Carlos and Flávio about the book, calling it "a difusão de fato sabidamente inverídico" that harms political debate. He denies Haddad's request for a right of reply, finding Haddad had enough chance to respond.
- **15 October 2018 (PT side).** TSE justice Sergio Banhos suspends a Haddad ad saying Bolsonaro voted against the Brazilian Inclusion Law for people with disabilities. Bolsonaro had voted against one clause on gender and sexual orientation but for the law, which passed unanimously. Banhos calls it fake news able to unbalance the race. Separately, the TSE orders Facebook to remove false videos about Haddad's running mate Manuela d'Ávila.
- **17 October 2018.** Lupa, working with USP and UFMG, checks the 50 most-shared images from 347 public political WhatsApp groups (16 August to 7 October). Four of the 50 were true.
- **18 October 2018.** *Folha de S.Paulo* (Patrícia Campos Mello) reports that businesses backing Bolsonaro bought bulk WhatsApp messaging packages against the PT, with some contracts reported at up to R$12 million. It names the retailer Havan and the agencies Quickmobile, Yacows, Croc Services and SMS Market. Corporate campaign donations are illegal in Brazil and undeclared spending is *caixa dois*. The reporter is then harassed online and by phone.
- **19 October 2018.** The TSE opens an inquiry at the PT's request. WhatsApp says it has banned more than 100,000 accounts in Brazil, including Flávio Bolsonaro's, for mass messaging.
- **By 20 October 2018 (PT side).** TSE justice Luis Felipe Salomão suspends a Haddad ad that set Bolsonaro's own statements in favour of torture beside testimony from women tortured under the dictatorship, with a fine of R$50,000 per broadcast. He writes that the "dystopia" in the ad could create "estados passionais" (passionate emotional states) able to incite violence. On 24 October he suspends a second insert on the same theme.
- **26 October 2018.** Congresso em Foco reports that of 123 false stories found by fact-checkers, 104 benefited Bolsonaro and 19 benefited Haddad. Bolsonaro wins the runoff on 28 October.
- **8 October 2019.** WhatsApp's Ben Supple says at a festival in Medellín that during the election there were companies sending bulk messages in violation of its terms.
- **28 October 2021.** The TSE unanimously rejects the PT coalition's two cases to annul the Bolsonaro and Hamilton Mourão ticket. The court says bulk messaging to favour the ticket was illicit, but that the evidence did not show the gravity needed for abuse of power. By 6 votes to 1 (Carlos Horbach dissenting), it adopts a thesis that bulk messaging of disinformation via messaging apps can amount to abuse of economic power and misuse of media.
- **April 2022.** Bolsonaro calls the TSE's cooperation deal with WhatsApp "censura". Lula says abortion should be a public-health issue; in October he writes to evangelicals that he is "personally against abortion" and that the issue is for Congress.
- **August to October 2022 (claims against Lula).**
- Pastor and deputy Marco Feliciano repeats that Lula would close evangelical churches. O Globo reports the claim reached 142 million Twitter profiles. On 4 October the TSE orders removal of content saying Lula would persecute churches and close them.
- The TSE fines Bolsonaro and orders removal of a post linking Lula and the PT to the PCC crime faction (reported 1 September).
- A video of a self-declared Satanist backing Lula is shared by Flávio Bolsonaro, Carla Zambelli and others after the first round. The PT takes it to the TSE.
- After Lula wears a "CPX" cap on 12 October, pro-Bolsonaro posts say it means "partner in crime". G1 rates this false; CPX is short for *complexo*.
- **September to October 2022 (claims against Bolsonaro).**
- The TSE orders removal of a post by André Janones linking Bolsonaro's party to the suspension of the nurses' pay floor.
- On 14 October Bolsonaro says on a podcast that "pintou um clima" when he met Venezuelan girls aged 14 and 15. "Bolsonaro Pedófilo" trends on Twitter, and Congresso em Foco counts 1,048,576 messages on the subject between 14 and 18 October. On 17 October justice Alexandre de Moraes, at the Bolsonaro campaign's request, orders the Lula campaign to delete posts using the clip. Lula's lawyers say the order bars linking the clip to a pedophilia crime, not showing it.
- On 24 October justice Isabel Gallotti orders Lula, Gleisi Hoffmann, Janones and others to delete posts saying Bolsonaro would cut the minimum wage, calling it false information on a subject "de extrema relevância social". The same day Moraes orders Janones to delete posts calling Roberto Jefferson a Bolsonaro campaign coordinator, and the TSE begins daily monitoring of the accounts of Janones and Carlos Bolsonaro.
- Edited photos of a 2014 Bolsonaro visit to a Masonic lodge circulate, some claiming he promised to "hand Brazil to Satan". Estadão reports left-wing accounts outpaced pro-Bolsonaro ones with this material.
- **October 2022 (the court's powers).** The TSE approves a resolution proposed by Moraes letting it act on its own initiative to remove content it has already ruled false when it reappears. The New York Times reports it on 21 October. The court also acts against Jovem Pan and *Gazeta do Povo*, citing commentary that raised fears of a "golpe de esquerda", church closures and organized crime. Lula wins the runoff on 30 October.

**The differences, stated plainly.** For 2018, the one sourced count (Congresso em Foco, via 123 fact-checked stories) puts 104 in Bolsonaro's favour and 19 in Haddad's. The bulk-messaging finding of 2021 concerns the Bolsonaro side only; no ruling found here makes a similar finding about the PT. Removal orders were issued against both campaigns in both years. This page found no sourced total of 2022 orders split by campaign, so it gives none.

![Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the PSB national convention, 29 July 2022](https://propagandaarchive.org/case-studies/images/brazil-elections-lula-psb-convention-2022.jpg)

*Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the national convention of the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB), 29 July 2022, during the 2022 campaign. Photo: Sergio Dutti / PSB, CC BY 2.0 (cropped version on Wikimedia Commons).*

![Jair Bolsonaro at the Bicentennial of Independence civil-military parade, Brasília, 7 September 2022](https://propagandaarchive.org/case-studies/images/brazil-elections-bolsonaro-bicentenary-parade-2022.jpg)

*Jair Bolsonaro at the civil-military parade for the Bicentennial of Independence, Brasília, 7 September 2022, three weeks before the first round. Official photo by Alan Santos, Palácio do Planalto, CC BY 2.0 (cropped version on Wikimedia Commons). The two portraits come from different sources; no matched 2018 pair was cleared.*

## How it works

- [Flooding the zone](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/flooding-the-zone/): bulk messaging fills thousands of groups with forwarded images and audio faster than anyone can check them. The TSE found in 2021 that bulk messaging to favour the 2018 Bolsonaro ticket was illicit. Lupa's sample (four true images out of fifty) shows what filled the groups. The court did not find the same method on the PT side.
- [Fear appeal](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/fear-appeal/): children given a "kit gay" or erotic baby bottles; churches closed if Lula wins; a leftist coup and organized crime. On the PT side, the 2018 torture ads, which the TSE suspended on the ground that they could stir "passionate emotional states". The court used the same standard against both sides.
- [Name-calling](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/name-calling/): "kit gay" as a label for a teacher kit that was never distributed; "Bolsonaro Pedófilo" as a trending tag after the "pintou um clima" clip; "CPX" read as "partner in crime". In each case the label does the work.
- [Card stacking](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/card-stacking/): the 2018 Haddad ad on the Inclusion Law left out that Bolsonaro voted for the law. A 2022 clip cut Bolsonaro's words so that he seemed to name Fernando Collor as minister and plan to seize pensions, when he was describing what critics said. A 2017 Lula interview was spliced so that he seemed to say phone thieves steal "para tomar uma cervejinha" (Reuters, Estadão Verifica).
- [Outrage bait](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/outrage-bait/): religious desecration as the hook on both sides: a Satanist "endorsing" Lula, and doctored Masonic photos with Bolsonaro "handing Brazil to Satan".

## Then and now

The church-closure claim is not new. O Globo traced versions of "Lula will close the churches" back to his first presidential run in 1989, and "kit gay" first spiked in Google searches in May 2011, seven years before the 2018 race. The WhatsApp side changed between the two races: the app cut forwarding to 20 chats in 2018 and five in January 2019, and in April 2022 limited forwarding to one group at a time. Enforcement also changed. In 2018 the TSE judged ads and posts one complaint at a time. By October 2022 it could act on its own against content it had already ruled false.

![Headquarters of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), Brasília, 2020](https://propagandaarchive.org/case-studies/images/brazil-tse-headquarters-2020.jpg)

*Headquarters of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) in Brasília, the court that issued removal orders against both campaigns in 2018 and 2022. Photo: Roque de Sá / Agência Senado, 2020. CC BY 2.0.*

## Positions on the record

- **Bolsonaro and his campaign (2018):** his defence said the campaign was falsely accused over the *Folha* report and would take legal action. Bolsonaro used Facebook to deny involvement and said *Folha* was working for Haddad. Facebook and Twitter told the TSE his campaign had not paid for boosting.
- **Bolsonaro (2022):** he called the TSE's deal with WhatsApp "censura". On the Venezuelan girls he said his words were taken out of context "por má-fé" and later that the phrase meant only that it seemed right to talk to them. Correio Braziliense found he had not used the phrase in 128 of his livestreams.
- **Haddad, Lula and the PT:** they called the 2018 messaging *caixa dois* and asked the TSE to bar Bolsonaro from office. Haddad withdrew the Inclusion Law post as "imprecise" and retracted calling Mourão a torturer. In 2023 Janones suggested he had used fake news in the 2022 campaign.
- **Critics of the TSE:** the National Newspapers Association (ANJ) and legal experts called some 2022 orders, notably those on Jovem Pan and *Gazeta do Povo*, limits on free expression and press freedom. Freedom House notes that Bolsonaro supporters and legal experts feared the October 2022 resolution could allow censorship. Moraes cited false information and hate speech when proposing it.
- **Critics of the campaigns:** researchers cited on Portuguese Wikipedia's 2018 page (Mariano and Gerardi) describe "kit gay" as "uma estratégia muito bem orquestrada" to create moral panic. Poder360 and R7 reported Janones's style on the Lula side as deliberate use of false stories.
- **This archive's reading:** documented: the removal orders on both sides listed above, the 2021 finding that bulk messaging was illicit, WhatsApp's ban figure, and the 104-to-19 fact-check count for 2018. **Not shown:** that the messaging changed the 2018 result (the TSE said gravity was not proven), that Bolsonaro directed the businesses, or any per-campaign total of 2022 orders. Whether the October 2022 resolution was needed protection or overreach is a dispute between the positions above, not a finding here.

## Same-method test

If a left-wing businessman had paid agencies to blast unlabelled messages against a right-wing candidate, this page would score it as [Flooding the zone](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/flooding-the-zone/), as it does here. If a right-wing ad had set a left-wing candidate's own words beside torture testimony, the TSE's "passionate emotional states" reasoning, and this page's [Fear appeal](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/fear-appeal/) tag, would apply the same way. A spliced clip is [Card stacking](https://propagandaarchive.org/techniques/card-stacking/) whether it trims Lula or Bolsonaro.

## How to spot it

- A forwarded message with no author and no link is not a source. Look for the same claim in the checks by Lupa, Aos Fatos, Comprova or G1's Fato ou Fake before sharing.
- For a short clip of a candidate, find the full interview. Several 2022 clips on both sides joined answers from different questions.
- A removal order tells you a judge found a claim false or harmful. It does not tell you how far the claim spread or whether it moved votes.

## Images

| Image | Source | Licence |
| --- | --- | --- |
| TSE headquarters, Brasília (2020) | [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sede_do_Tribunal_Superior_Eleitoral_(1).jpg), Roque de Sá / Agência Senado | CC BY 2.0 |
| Lula at the PSB convention, 29 July 2022 | [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2022_-_Conven%C3%A7%C3%A3o_Nacional_do_PSB_-_Lula_(cropped).jpg), Sergio Dutti / PSB | CC BY 2.0 |
| Bolsonaro at the Bicentennial parade, 7 September 2022 | [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2022-09-07_Desfile_C%C3%ADvico-Militar_por_ocasi%C3%A3o_das_Comemora%C3%A7%C3%B5es_do_Bicenten%C3%A1rio_da_Independ%C3%AAncia_do_Brasil_-_52341366768_(cropped).jpg), Alan Santos / Palácio do Planalto | CC BY 2.0 |

### Image gaps

- **The campaign ads and posts themselves** (the "kit gay" videos, the PT torture ads, the Inclusion Law ad, the PCC, church-closure, "pintou um clima" and minimum-wage posts). They are copyrighted campaign material and several are court-ordered removals. They are cited above, not reproduced. Not fillable with open licences.
- **Photos of the candidates.** Two 2022 portraits (Lula at the PSB convention, Bolsonaro at the Bicentennial parade) are hosted above; they come from different sources (a party account and the presidency). **Still fillable:** a matched pair for 2018, including Fernando Haddad. A Haddad campaign photo (Ricardo Stuckert, 20 October 2018, CC BY-SA 2.0) was found on Commons but no matching openly licensed Bolsonaro campaign photo from 2018 was found, so neither was hosted.
- **A WhatsApp screenshot from 2018 groups.** Not included: screenshots show private users' numbers and copyrighted images.

## Sources

- [Folha de S.Paulo, 18 October 2018: Empresários bancam campanha contra o PT pelo WhatsApp](https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2018/10/empresarios-bancam-campanha-contra-o-pt-pelo-whatsapp.shtml)
- [Exame on the Folha report and Haddad's reaction](https://exame.com/brasil/empresarios-bancam-disparos-anti-pt-no-whatsapp-diz-folha-haddad-reage/)
- [Bloomberg, 19 October 2018: WhatsApp bans more than 100,000 accounts](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-19/whatsapp-bans-more-than-100-000-accounts-in-brazil-election)
- [Veja: Bolsonaro defence on the TSE case](https://veja.abril.com.br/politica/processo-contra-bolsonaro-tem-relator-definido-no-tse/)
- [Agência Brasil, November 2018: Facebook and Twitter say Bolsonaro did not pay for boosting](http://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/justica/noticia/2018-11/facebook-e-twitter-dizem-que-bolsonaro-nao-pagou-por-impulsionamento)
- [Aos Fatos: checks of Bolsonaro on Jornal Nacional](https://www.aosfatos.org/noticias/checamos-declaracoes-de-bolsonaro-no-jornal-nacional-e-na-globonews/) and [É falso que Haddad criou kit gay](https://www.aosfatos.org/noticias/e-falso-que-haddad-criou-kit-gay-para-criancas-de-seis-anos/)
- [AFP Checamos: PT did not distribute "mamadeiras eróticas"](https://checamos.afp.com/nao-o-pt-nao-esta-distribuindo-mamadeiras-eroticas-nas-creches)
- [TSE, October 2018: 48 hours to remove videos about the sex-education book](http://www.tse.jus.br/imprensa/noticias-tse/2018/Outubro/facebook-e-youtube-tem-48-horas-para-retirar-do-ar-videos-com-inverdades-sobre-livro-de-educacao-sexual)
- [Agência Brasil: TSE orders removal of "kit gay" videos](https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/politica/noticia/2018-10/tse-manda-remover-videos-que-associam-gestao-haddad-kit-gay)
- [Columbia Global Freedom of Expression: Haddad v. Bolsonaro](https://globalfreedomofexpression.columbia.edu/cases/haddad-v-bolsonaro/)
- [TSE, October 2018: ad accusing Bolsonaro of voting against inclusion suspended](https://www.tse.jus.br/comunicacao/noticias/2018/Outubro/ministro-do-tse-suspende-propaganda-que-acusa-bolsonaro-de-votar-contra-inclusao)
- [TSE, October 2018: ad linking Bolsonaro to torture suspended](https://www.tse.jus.br/imprensa/noticias-tse/2018/Outubro/tse-suspende-propaganda-que-relaciona-bolsonaro-a-tortura)
- [Columbia Global Freedom of Expression: Bolsonaro v. Party Coalition "O povo feliz de novo"](https://globalfreedomofexpression.columbia.edu/cases/bolsonaro-v-party-coalition-o-povo-feliz-de-novo/)
- [ConJur, 24 October 2018: second torture insert suspended](https://www.conjur.com.br/2018-out-24/salomao-tambem-suspende-insercao-ligava-bolsonaro-tortura)
- [Poder360, 16 October 2018: TSE orders Facebook to remove video about Manuela d'Ávila](https://www.poder360.com.br/justica/tse-manda-facebook-retirar-video-com-informacoes-falsas-sobre-manuela-davila/)
- [Lupa, 17 October 2018: the 50 most-shared WhatsApp images](https://www.agencialupa.org/jornalismo/2018/10/17/whatsapp-lupa-usp-ufmg-imagens/)
- [Congresso em Foco, 26 October 2018: of 123 fake news, 104 benefited Bolsonaro](https://congressoemfoco.uol.com.br/eleicoes/das-123-fake-news-encontradas-por-agencias-de-checagem-104-beneficiaram-bolsonaro/)
- [CPJ: Patrícia Campos Mello](https://cpj.org/awards/patricia-campos-mello-brazil/)
- [Mobile Time, 8 October 2019: WhatsApp executive on bulk messaging in 2018](https://www.mobiletime.com.br/noticias/08/10/2019/executivo-do-whatsapp-admite-uso-massivo-de-mensagens-durante-as-eleicoes-brasileiras-de-2018/)
- [TSE, October 2021: actions against Bolsonaro and Mourão judged unfounded](https://www.tse.jus.br/comunicacao/noticias/2021/Outubro/tse-julga-improcedentes-acoes-contra-jair-bolsonaro-e-hamilton-mourao)
- [Agência Brasil, October 2021: TSE rejects annulling the ticket](https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/justica/noticia/2021-10/tse-rejeita-pedido-para-cassar-chapa-bolsonaro-mourao) and [ConJur, 28 October 2021](https://www.conjur.com.br/2021-out-28/tse-forma-maioria-nao-cassar-bolsonaro-disparos-massa/)
- [Columbia Global Freedom of Expression: Coligação O Povo Feliz de Novo v. Bolsonaro](https://globalfreedomofexpression.columbia.edu/cases/coligacao-o-povo-feliz-de-novo-v-bolsonaro/)
- [G1, April 2022: Bolsonaro calls TSE-WhatsApp deal "censura"](https://g1.globo.com/sp/campinas-regiao/noticia/2022/04/15/bolsonaro-chama-acordo-entre-tse-e-whatsapp-de-censura-e-diz-que-para-ele-medida-nao-tem-validade.ghtml)
- [G1, April 2022: Lula on abortion](https://g1.globo.com/politica/eleicoes/2022/noticia/2022/04/06/lula-sobre-aborto-deveria-ser-transformado-numa-questao-de-saude-publica-e-todo-mundo-ter-direito.ghtml) and [Folha, October 2022: Lula's letter to evangelicals](https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/brazil/2022/10/lula-releases-letter-to-evangelicals-and-rejects-abortion-and-lying-pastors.shtml)
- [Folha, August 2022: Lula never indicated he would close churches](https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2022/08/lula-jamais-deu-indicacao-de-que-iria-fechar-igrejas-evangelicas-ao-contrario-do-que-repete-marco-feliciano.shtml) and [O Globo: claim reached 142 million Twitter profiles](https://oglobo.globo.com/blogs/pulso/post/2022/08/noticia-falsa-de-que-lula-vai-fechar-igrejas-evangelicas-atingiu-142-milhoes-de-usuarios-do-twitter.ghtml)
- [Valor, 4 October 2022: TSE removes church-persecution content](https://valor.globo.com/politica/eleicoes-2022/noticia/2022/10/04/tse-determina-remocao-de-fake-news-contra-lula-sobre-perseguicao-e-fechamento-de-igrejas.ghtml)
- [Valor, 1 September 2022: TSE fines Bolsonaro over Lula-PCC post](https://valor.globo.com/politica/eleicoes-2022/noticia/2022/09/01/tse-multa-bolsonaro-por-disseminar-fake-news-relacionando-lula-ao-pcc.ghtml) and [Folha](https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2022/09/tse-manda-bolsonaro-excluir-postagem-em-que-relaciona-pt-e-pcc.shtml)
- [O Globo, October 2022: PT reacts to Satanism video](https://oglobo.globo.com/blogs/malu-gaspar/post/2022/10/campanha-do-pt-reage-a-fake-news-que-incendiou-redes-bolsonaristas-ligando-lula-ao-satanismo.ghtml) and [SBT News: PT goes to TSE](https://www.sbtnews.com.br/noticia/justica/225955-pt-aciona-tse-contra-flavio-bolsonaro-e-zambelli-por-video-de-suposto-satanista)
- [G1 Fato ou Fake: CPX cap](https://g1.globo.com/fato-ou-fake/eleicoes/noticia/2022/10/13/e-fake-que-bone-usado-por-lula-com-abreviacao-cpx-seja-referencia-a-faccao-criminosa-do-rj.ghtml)
- [TSE, September 2022: post linking Bolsonaro to nurses' pay floor removed](https://www.tse.jus.br/comunicacao/noticias/2022/Setembro/tse-manda-excluir-noticia-que-associava-bolsonaro-com-suspensao-de-piso-de-enfermagem)
- [G1, 15 October 2022: "Pintou um clima"](https://g1.globo.com/politica/eleicoes/2022/noticia/2022/10/15/pintou-um-clima-fala-de-bolsonaro-sobre-meninas-venezuelanas-repercute-e-gera-criticas-nas-redes.ghtml), [Congresso em Foco count](https://congressoemfoco.uol.com.br/area/pais/furou-a-bolha-saiba-como-o-tema-da-pedofilia-repercutiu-nas-redes-a-partir-do-pintou-o-clima/), [Correio Braziliense: 128 livestreams](https://www.correiobraziliense.com.br/politica/2022/10/5045071-pintou-um-clima-em-128-lives-bolsonaro-nao-usou-expressao-nenhuma-vez.html)
- [Agência Brasil, 17 October 2022: TSE orders Lula campaign to delete Venezuelan-girls posts](https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/politica/noticia/2022-10/tse-manda-campanha-de-lula-apagar-fala-de-bolsonaro-sobre-venezuelanas) and [G1: PT asks for clarification](https://g1.globo.com/politica/blog/valdo-cruz/post/2022/10/18/pt-pede-ao-tse-para-esclarecer-que-video-de-bolsonaro-sobre-venezuelanas-nao-esta-proibido.ghtml)
- [Poder360, 24 October 2022: Lula and Janones ordered to delete minimum-wage posts](https://www.poder360.com.br/justica/tse-manda-lula-e-janones-excluirem-posts-sobre-salario-minimo/)
- [UOL, 24 October 2022: Janones ordered to delete Roberto Jefferson posts](https://noticias.uol.com.br/eleicoes/2022/10/24/tse-apagar-posts-janones-bolsonaro-roberto-jefferson.htm) and [G1: TSE monitors Janones and Carlos Bolsonaro](https://g1.globo.com/politica/eleicoes/2022/noticia/2022/10/24/tse-vai-monitorar-diariamente-contas-de-carlos-bolsonaro-e-andre-janones-nas-redes-sociais.ghtml)
- [Poder360, 2023: Janones suggests he used fake news](https://www.poder360.com.br/congresso/janones-sugere-ter-usado-fake-news-na-campanha-de-2022/)
- [Estadão Verifica: Collor clip distorted](https://www.estadao.com.br/estadao-verifica/entrevista-e-distorcida-para-parecer-que-bolsonaro-vai-dar-ministerio-a-collor-e-confiscar-aposentadoria/), [Reuters fact check: Lula "cervejinha" montage](https://www.reuters.com/article/fact-check-lula-celular-cerveja-idUSL1N31130O), [Estadão: Masonic content](https://www.estadao.com.br/politica/timeline-eleicoes-2022/esquerda-bolsonaristas-maconaria-desinformacao/)
- [UOL, 15 October 2022: TSE opens case on Jovem Pan](https://noticias.uol.com.br/eleicoes/2022/10/15/tse-lula-bolsonaro-jovem-pan.htm), [CNN Brasil: experts criticise the decision](https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/politica/especialistas-criticam-decisao-do-tse-contra-jovem-pan/), [Gazeta do Povo: entities on the order against it](https://www.gazetadopovo.com.br/vida-e-cidadania/entidades-democraticas-se-posicionam-contra-censura-do-tse-a-gazeta-do-povo/)
- [New York Times, 21 October 2022: Brazilian official granted power to order removal of misinformation](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/21/world/americas/brazil-online-content-misinformation.html)
- [Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2023: Brazil](https://freedomhouse.org/country/brazil/freedom-world/2023)
- [Portuguese Wikipedia: Notícias falsas nas eleições no Brasil em 2022](https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Not%C3%ADcias_falsas_nas_elei%C3%A7%C3%B5es_no_Brasil_em_2022) and [Desinformação na eleição presidencial brasileira de 2018](https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desinforma%C3%A7%C3%A3o_na_elei%C3%A7%C3%A3o_presidencial_brasileira_de_2018) (used as an index to the sources above)