PodCast "Medo e Delírio em Brasília"
The researcher and general coordinator of the Internet and Social Media Studies Laboratory at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (NetLab UFRJ), Débora Salles, alongside the project coordinator and also a NetLab researcher, Carlos Eduardo Barros, were invited on the podcast Fear and Delirium in Brasília. The program aired last Sunday (23/06).
In the episode 'Days 538 to 540', the researchers highlighted recent events for NetLab, in which the laboratory became the target of a wave of conspiratorial attacks surrounding a report on the floods in Rio Grande do Sul. People already under investigation by the Federal Police were mentioned in the study.
“For those who don't know NetLab, we are talking about a group with more than 11 years of experience in research on the internet and social networks in Brazil, a group that actively publishes articles in the national and international scientific community and develops technology to understand this phenomenon of disinformation from the global south, which has been suffering these attacks. But also due to our active participation in the community, it has received an immense wave of support and expressions of solidarity from researchers and research centers around the world. [..] However, there is a background that is fundamental, this attack on NetLab is not happenig in isolation, it is part of the movement of extremist groups attacking those who research disinformation.” said Carlos Eduardo Barros, research coordinator at NetLab UFRJ
Furthermore, the episode highlights how such movements are articulated digitally to attack other research groups, such as the Stanford University Internet Observatory (SIO), which was closed after several far-right attacks against the study of disinformation.
Presented by Pedro Daltro and Cristiano Botafogo, the Brazilian weekly podcast discusses politics based on the latest news from the country. The episode with NetLab UFRJ researchers is available on Spotify.