Fact or fake? An analysis of disinformation regarding the covid-19 pandemic in Brazil

Abstract

This paper aims to present an analysis of the most widespread fake news about the New Coronavirus (Sars-CoV-2) on social net-works and how it can harm public health. This is a quantitative empirical study, based on the no-tifications received by the Eu Fiscalizo Brazilian application. The conclusions show that WhatsApp is the primary channel for sharing fake news, followed by Instagram and Facebook. We can con-clude that the dissemination of malicious content related to Covid-19 contributes to the discrediting of science and global health institutions, and the solution to this problem is to increase the level of adequate information for Brazilian society.