Brazil: Election interference and disinformation incidents, 29 May 2025

• Brazil 13 May 2025 Brazil’s President Lula and China’s President Xi Jinping met in Beijing to sign twenty agreements with some relating to currency swapping, nuclear energy, mining, and agricultural trade. Both Presidents also voiced support for Ukraine and Russia to have direct talks relating to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
  
  Implications: The trade agreements between the two countries come after both Presidents voiced their opposition to US trade policies. Brazil and China are likely to gain more economic and political influence within Latin America due to the increasing co-operation between the two countries.
  
  
• Brazil, 12 May 2025 The Brazilian state of Para has begun construction of a thirteen-kilometre road that will go through a protected rainforest near the city of Belem. Multiple news sources have claimed the Brazilian government is building this road in preparation for a UN climate conference being held in Brazil likely due to the construction being started in 2024 although the project began in 2020. The Brazilian government denied these claims stating the road was not part of the thirty-three infrastructure projects planned for the event.
  
  Implications: The construction of the road is leading to criticism on social media for the project due to the deforestation in the protected area. Critics of the project have also expressed concerns that once the road is built it could lead to other developments in the area leading to an end of the area’s protected status.
  
  

• Brazil, 7 May 2025 Brazil’s government denied a request from the US to designate the Primeiro Comando da Capital and the Comando Vermelho organised criminal gangs as terrorist designations. Brazilian representatives stated that only organisations that carry out attacks for religious or racial reasons can be classified as terrorist organisations based on Brazilian law. This comes after the Federal Bureau of investigation (FBI) reported that the gangs had a presence in 12 US states and were responsible for trafficking weapons and laundering money leveraging Brazilian citizens traveling to the US.
  
  Implications: The Brazilian government denying the US request is likely to lead to increased tensions between US and Brazilian representatives within Brazil. Critics of Brazil’s decision on social media are stating that the government is allowing the gangs to act freely within the country. Critics of the US are spreading claims that the country has its own problems with gangs and should not be interfering with Brazil’s domestic issues. 

Fortnightly mitigation measures

• Organizations should consult our mitigation pages on Seerist for general malware and malware distribution and receive phishing detection and response training.
• Companies should promote internal awareness campaigns that encourage employees to verify the accuracy and source of politically or socially sensitive content before sharing or engaging with it on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.
• Actively monitor social media for narratives that could impact the organization’s reputation or operations, such as public sentiment around environmental issues or crime-related policy debates.
• Organizations should educate staff to critically assess media content, especially videos featuring public figures. Conduct also regular internal campaigns to educate staff on how AI deepfakes are created, what they look like, and how they are used in scams or disinformation.
• Develop a protocol for responding to cybersecurity incidents that includes internal communications, legal review, and public relations strategies. This ensures swift action if the company or executives are targeted.

Social engineering awareness

• An AI deepfake of Brazilian singer Pedro Sampaio was used to promote a gambling website. On Facebook a deepfake of a Brazilian politician was being used to promote a scam claiming Elon Musk was providing Starlink service in the country for free after users pay for the first month of service. At the time of publication, the post was no longer available.
• Users on social media should verify the authenticity of videos using the likeness of Brazilian celebrities and politicians on videos promoting products or services.

Disinformation education

• Disinformation on social media platforms, such as X, and Facebook, relating to the infrastructure project in Para and the actions the US and Brazil will take against the gangs operating in Brazil are likely to rise.
• Users on social media should verify the accuracy and source of any information shared or interacted with on social media relating to domestic government statements or actions taken on high visibility issues.

Social media monitoring

• Users on X are sharing and creating posts expressing concerns about deforestation in the Amazon in relation to infrastructure and oil projects.
• Users on social media based in Brazil have criticized what they perceive to be Brazil’s inaction against the gangs in the country. Users on social media have also expressed support for designating the gangs as terrorist organisations as they view the violence caused by the gangs to be a growing issue within Brazil.