Insights

Last Sunday (May 25), Marie Santini, director of the Laboratory for Internet and Social Media Studies at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (NetLab UFRJ), participated in an in-person meeting of the Content and Cultural Goods Chamber of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br), held in Belém, Pará. The meeting was part of "Day Zero" of the 16th edition of the Internet Forum in Brazil (FIB16)—an event that, over the course of five days, brought together represe

The study “Learn How to Avoid This Type of Woman: Discursive Strategies and the Monetization of Misogyny on YouTube,” developed by NetLab UFRJ, was cited by Mariana Valente, Director of InternetLab, during the public hearing “Misogyny Online: Digital Radicalization and the Spread of Hatred Against Women.” While addressing the challenges posed by digital platforms in amplifying misogynistic discourse, the researcher highlighted evidence produced by NetLab UFRJ regarding the ci

Last Monday (June 1), researcher and General Coordinator of the Internet and Social Media Studies Laboratory at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (NetLab UFRJ), Débora Salles, took part in the Public Hearing on Social Communication in the 2026 General Elections, organized by the Social Communication Council of the National Congress in Brasília. During her participation, Salles presented data from the research study "Electoral Integrity and Failures in the Governance of

Photo: Nádia Nicolau Last Friday (May 29), researchers from the Internet and Social Media Studies Laboratory at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (NetLab UFRJ), Marie Santini and Luciane Belin, delivered the lecture "New Technologies, Old Forms of Violence: Challenges in the Debate on Online Misogyny" at the São Paulo State Legislative Assembly (ALESP), opening the program of the Women in Struggle Festival (Festival Mulheres em Luta). The event brought together dozens

Last Monday (May 25), Márcio Borges, a researcher at the Internet and Social Media Studies Laboratory of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (NetLab UFRJ) and a Ph.D. candidate in Information Science, participated in the inaugural debate of the ESPM Political Communication Laboratory, held at the ESPM Glória Villa-Aymoré campus in Rio de Janeiro. The ESPM Political Communication Laboratory is an initiative dedicated to the production of knowledge in political communicati

Last Sunday (May 25), Marie Santini, Director of the Internet and Social Media Studies Laboratory at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (NetLab UFRJ), participated in the in-person meeting of the Content and Cultural Assets Chamber of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br), held in Belém, in the state of Pará. The meeting was part of the Zero Day activities of the 16th edition of the Brazilian Internet Forum (FIB16), an event that brought together representa

Bruno Mattos, coordinator at NetLab UFRJ, participated in the annual technical meeting of the program “Less Waste is More” (Lixo: menos é mais), organized by Sesc São Paulo. The activity brought together professionals and experts to discuss strategies for institutional sustainability, focusing on reducing waste generation, promoting responsible consumption, and adopting environmentally sustainable practices. The program is part of Sesc’s socio-environmental policy and develop

Representatives from NetLab UFRJ and the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy at the University of Cambridge participated in a meeting with Ofcom, the United Kingdom’s communications regulator, to present the findings of the Data Not Found report. The meeting brought together researchers and digital governance experts to discuss the challenges related to data transparency on digital platforms and their implications for independent research, public policymaking, and re

Marie Santini, Director of NetLab UFRJ, participated in the 2026 edition of the Brazil Forum UK, held at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge in the United Kingdom. The event annually brings together researchers, policymakers, civil society representatives, and Brazilian leaders to discuss strategic challenges for the country’s development in areas such as democracy, technology, the environment, the economy, and education. During her participation, Marie presented the fin

NetLab UFRJ launches index evaluating social media transparency in partnership with the University of Cambridge Digital platforms know almost everything about their users — but what does society know about them? Starting from this question, NetLab UFRJ director Marie Santini presented, on April 7, the Social Media Transparency Index, a new tool that assesses and compares the level of informational openness of major online platforms across three regions: Brazil, the United Kin

Last Wednesday (March 17th), the National Television Council (CNTV), together with the National Television Association (Anatel), held a meeting attended by Marie Santini, founder and director of NetLab UFRJ. The presentation, entitled "Freedom of Expression and the Power of Big Tech: The Flaws in the Governance of Digital Platforms", ​​addressed the main challenges presented by large technology platforms in terms of regulation, transparency, and the protection of fundamental

Last Monday (March 16), Fernando Ferreira, an associate researcher at UFRJ NetLab, presented the results of the project “Indicators of Journalistic Coverage of Climate News.” The presentation, held at the UFRJ Technology Park, was part of the 3rd cycle of Special Projects, bringing together researchers and participants involved in initiatives developed by the Technology Park. The project focused on developing indicators to analyze journalistic coverage of climate news in Braz

Marie Santini, director of NetLab UFRJ, alongside researcher Andreu Casero from the Universitat Jaume I, participated in the opening keynote lecture for the academic year at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC Chile) this Friday (March 13), marking the start of academic activities and bringing together students and researchers in the field. Aimed at doctoral students in Communication Sciences, the event addressed the current challenges of scientific production i

The Director of NetLab UFRJ, Marie Santini, took part in “The Business of Disinformation: Who Profits from Your Health on Social Media?”, an episode of the Mamilos podcast hosted by Juliana Wallauer, featuring Dr. Clara Lapa, a specialist in neuroscience. During episode #546, the guests discussed how health misinformation circulates on digital platforms, as well as the economic interests involved in spreading this type of content. The debate also addressed the impacts of the

An update to the NetLab UFRJ survey on misogyny on YouTube found that channels identified by the lab in April 2024 continue to publish content and gain new followers, two years after the survey was conducted. Rio de Janeiro, March 9, 2026 In 2024, NetLab UFRJ identified 137 YouTube channels that disseminated content containing hate speech, contempt, aversion, or control over women. These data were published in the report “Learn to Avoid ‘This Type’ of Woman”: Discursive Strat

On March 4, 2026, Project Coordinator of NetLab UFRJ Carlos Eduardo Barros took part in a study group organized by the Faculty of Law at Oxford University, entitled “Classifying Harm in Digital Media: Opportunities and Limits of AI Tools.” The online meeting brought together researchers to discuss the challenges and possibilities of using AI tools to identify and classify harm in digital environments. During the event, participants debated how AI-based systems can contribute

The General Coordinator of NetLab UFRJ, Débora Salles, took part in “The DSA and Platform Regulation Conference,” held on February 16–17, 2026, at Amsterdam Law School. The event brought together international researchers and experts to discuss the regulatory challenges faced by digital platforms in the context of the Digital Services Act (DSA). On February 17, during the panel “Content Moderation Transparency and Norms,” Débora presented the paper “The Struggle for Content M

Researchers from NetLab UFRJ, Marina Loureiro and Julia Dias, took part in the 14th Regional AISV/IAVS Congress, held between February 9 and 11, 2026, at the University of São Paulo (USP). The event brought together international researchers and specialists to discuss theoretical and methodological approaches in the field of semiotics, with a focus on multimodal and transmedia contexts. The researchers took part in Panel 6 – Intersemiotic translation of illustrative images: C

Last Thursday, February 5, NetLab UFRJ’s Research Coordinator, Débora Salles, presented the laboratory’s recommendations for regulating electoral advertising in the upcoming 2026 Elections. These contributions aim to assist in updating Superior Electoral Court (TSE) regulation and to strengthen transparency and the integrity of the democratic process in the digital environment. NetLab UFRJ’s recommendations are organized around four central pillars: transparency of digital p

On January 16th, Nicole Sanchotene, Project Coordinator of the Laboratory for Internet and Social Network Studies at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (NetLab UFRJ), presented the results of the report “Greenwashing in the Energy Transition: How LinkedIn Ads Distort the Climate Debate and Legitimate Unsustainable Practices”. During the meeting, Nicole Sanchotene was interviewed by Maya Laurens, project manager of the international department of the Fondation Jean Jaurè