Fact or Fake? An analysis of disinformation regarding the Covid-19 pandemic in Brazil

Abstract This paper aims to present an analysis of the most widespread fake news about the New Coronavirus (Sars-CoV-2) on social networks and how it can harm public health. This is a quantitative empirical study, based on the notifications received by the Eu Fiscalizo Brazilian application. The conclusions show that WhatsApp is the primary channel for sharing fake news, followed by Instagram and Facebook. We can conclude that the dissemination of malicious content related to Covid-19 contributes to the discrediting of science and global health institutions, and the solution to this problem is to increase the level of adequate information for Brazilian society.

摘要 本研究旨在分析社交媒体平台上传播最为广泛的新型冠状病毒（Sars-CoV-2）相关虚假信息，及其对公共卫生造成的危害。本研究为定量实证研究，数据源自巴西应用Eu Fiscalizo所接收的虚假信息举报通知。研究结果显示，WhatsApp是传播此类虚假信息的首要渠道，其次为Instagram与Facebook。综上，与新冠肺炎（Covid-19）相关的恶意内容传播，会损害科学与全球卫生机构的公信力；解决该问题的核心路径在于提升巴西社会获取准确信息的整体水平。