The spiral of violence

The role of fake news dissemination

Abstract

The criminalization of fake news within Brazilian legislation, highlighting its insufficiency in addressing the rapid dissemination of false information and its negative societal impacts, forms the premise of this article. Fake news is crafted to deceive and manipulate opinions, foster intolerance, hatred, and misinformation. The post-truth phenomenon, characterized by the acceptance of falsehoods, amplifies the credibility of fake news by undermining the pursuit of truth in shaping public opinion. This study emphasizes that the proliferation of fake news transcends the bounds of freedom of expression, presenting a pressing issue of social responsibility due to its detrimental effects on social cohesion within a democratic context. The lack of verification of shared information leads to severe consequences, exacerbating polarization and violence, and poses significant challenges in both legal and social domains. The objective of this exploration is to expose the harms caused by fake news, understand its effects on contemporary society, and discuss the necessity of specific legislation to define and penalize crimes related to misinformation. Employing exploratory and descriptive methods, this research seeks to address the challenges posed by this phenomenon in the Brazilian legal framework, offering reflections to mitigate its impacts.