Rio de Janeiro electoral court cracks down on political disinformation

The Regional Electoral Court of Rio de Janeiro (TRE‑RJ) ordered councilor Rafael Silva Ferreira de Lima, a pre‑candidate for federal deputy, to remove an Instagram video that attacked Eduardo Paes, a pre‑candidate for the state governorship. The post falsely claimed that Banco Master handled the municipal payroll, which the court clarified is run by Banco Santander. The decision gave the councilor 24 hours to delete the content and set a daily fine of R$ 10,000 for any breach.

In a related move, TRE‑RJ announced the creation of a Núcleo de Fiscalização da Propaganda Eleitoral Digital e Enfrentamento à Desinformação, a unit to monitor online election content, including fake news, hate speech and AI‑generated deepfakes. The unit will involve court staff, the Civil and Federal Police, universities and private non‑profits, following guidance from the Superior Electoral Court. The tribunal also reiterated the prohibition of cellphones inside voting booths.