Brazil’s historic election is what hope looks like

People power in Brazil is what hope looks like.

For three intense weeks, the people of Brazil took to the streets and ensured their voices were heard when it mattered most. Despite disinformation, denialism, and interference by Big Tech companies, Brazil decided for Brazil to re-elect President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The people power on display in this historic election - it was the first time in Brazil a candidate who finished second in the first round has turned the tide and secured a victory - matters to the entire world. It strengthens democratic regimes, maintains the commitment to a protected Amazon and the fight against climate change, and joins other governments that already recognise the threat Big Tech poses to national sovereignty and electoral processes.

Resisting Big Tech's election interference

Leading up to the election, Greenpeace Brazil joined CTRL + Z and dozens of other civil society organisations and individuals in signing an open letter calling out the Big Tech for tipping the scales towards far right candidate Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. From AI deepfakes to shadowbans, platforms were violating Brazilian election laws and tilting the scales.

• Unlabelled Deepfakes: A MonitorA study found 1 in 4 offensive images targeting female candidates showed signs of AI generation circulating with zero labeling.

• Foreign Ad Money: Ekō and NetLab UFRJ documented Meta reportedly accepting foreign payments for ads containing deepfakes and direct attacks on democratic institutions.

• Mass Shadowbans: Student unions, journalists, and voter rights groups reported sudden account suspensions and shadowbans after posting electoral content, without an effective or meaningful process to appeal.

Autocrats, tech billionaires, and the far right rely on public confusion, exhaustion and cynicism to keep power. But an informed and united movement shatters that playbook every single time. ⁣

The people have the power

The autocrats are losing. Not just in Brazil. The same day, Serbia also rejected longtime autocrat Aleksandar Vucic in elections, following a years-long student-led opposition movement.

Autocrats and far right politicians and their tech billionaire enablers rely on public exhaustion to keep their grip. But an organised, united movement shatters their playbook every single time. Remember: we don't just watch history happen, we build it. ⁣

Lu Sudré is Head of Communications with Greenpeace Brazil.