Brazilian prosecutors train on fake news, deepfakes and electoral monitoring

On 18 June 2026, Brazil’s Ministry of Public Prosecutors held a training session titled “Integridade em Foco” for electoral magistrates. Retired Minas Gerais prosecutor Edson Resende de Castro presented on combating fake news and electoral propaganda, stressing the need for rapid fact‑finding, the distinction between procedural violations (addressed by police power) and content‑based offenses (handled through judicial action). He warned that “we will have a flood of deepfakes in the elections” and called for institutional readiness.

In a separate panel, Ceará prosecutor Igor Pereira Pinheiro described politicians’ Instagram accounts as “the biggest laboratory of electoral law”, urging proactive monitoring of social media and early‑stage (pre‑campaign) oversight. He highlighted two crimes that can lead to the loss of a mandate – misuse of official vehicles within 90 days of an election and the distribution of goods or prizes to influence voters – and stressed the importance of detecting such violations before they affect the vote.

Both speakers called for stronger, preventive investigative practices by the public prosecutor’s offices to safeguard the integrity of Brazil’s upcoming 2026 elections.