Brazilian prosecutors on Friday known as on messaging platform WhatsApp to delay the launch in Brazil of its new function known as Communities till January to keep away from the unfold of pretend information throughout and instantly after the nation’s election in October.

The federal prosecutors mentioned the expanded attain of the brand new device comes “at a time when fake news about the functioning of institutions and the integrity of the Brazilian voting system could jeopardize the democratic stability of the country.”

The MPF, because the federal prosecutors workplace is thought, mentioned Communities may undermine the environment friendly steps taken by WhatsApp in recent times to include the unfold of pretend information.

WhatsApp is likely one of the messaging platforms that supporters of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro most use to speak, manage rallies, and disclose their views. Bolsonaro is looking for re-election however is trailing leftist former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Brazil’s most polarized election in many years.

The messaging service owned by Meta agreed in April to postpone the launch of the brand new platform till after an anticipated second-round run-off vote on the finish of October.

But the MPF mentioned in an announcement this was not sufficient to mitigate the “serious risks that an increase in disinformation can generate … in the last two months of the year.”

A WhatsApp spokesperson mentioned the corporate will proceed to fastidiously consider one of the best time to launch the brand new platform and would duly reply to the authorities’ request.

The MPF mentioned WhatsApp is put in on 99 % of the smartphones in Brazil.

The new function would develop the variety of customers from 256 at current to 512, permitting messages to be despatched to 2,560 individuals directly. This would enhance customers’ capacity to viralize content material, the MPF mentioned.

The prosecutors famous WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption prevents these answerable for the platform from monitoring and moderating the content material of the messages exchanged on it.

© Thomson Reuters 2022