The National Electoral Commission (CNE) has a WhatsApp number that citizens can use to report cases of “misinformation or inappropriate advertising” during the June 9 European election campaign.
The number for this service is 924 315 697, and according to CNE spokesman, former MP Fernando Anastasio, some complaints have already been received and are being analyzed.
These complaints are “checked, analyzed, and then checked whether there is material for deeper work or not” and “if substantiated, MediaLab itself will prepare a special report,” explained Luse Fernando Anastasio.
This analytical work is part of an agreement between CNE and MediaLab, a communication science research institute integrated into ISCTE, to detect and prevent potential fake news before Election Day.
Gustavo Cardoso, MediaLab coordinator, emphasized the importance for researchers of data from WhatsApp, “another closed social network,” since “the information is encrypted, it is shared only with the people who want it,” and was within the reach of those studying the phenomenon.
In India and Brazil, he explained, WhatsApp “is a huge vehicle for misinformation.”
Some 373 million European voters are called upon to vote for the European Parliament between 6 and 9 June. In Portugal, voting will take place on the 9th.
720 MEPs will be elected, 21 of whom are Portuguese.