Automated accounts and fake profiles are being used to try to shape online conversations ahead of Brazil's 2026 elections, according to a report published by G1 on Tuesday, August 26. The piece is part of a series of 50 videos in which G1 explains key themes of the election race, including the role of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, deepfakes and digital influencers in the campaign.
The report draws a distinction between two kinds of accounts. A bot is an automated account, programmed to post, like, comment or share content without a person directly behind each action. A fake profile, by contrast, is an account created to pass as a real person, but run by someone (or a group) that is not who the profile claims to be. Both can flood a candidate's posts with hundreds or thousands of comments defending that politician or attacking a rival.
According to Yasmin Curzi, a professor at the Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV, a prominent Brazilian research and higher education institution) who studies hate speech, the goal of these profiles is usually not to change undecided voters' minds. "Obviously, the bot interferes with public debate, but it doesn't necessarily manage to actually convert voters. It's still not possible to draw an exact link claiming 'it was social media that got someone elected,'" she told the outlet. She said the main effect is different: reinforcing positions people already hold. "The bot actually serves confirmation bias. It will influence people who already have a defined political position or who are already in a certain political spectrum," she added.
Manufacturing the appearance of popularity
Another function described in the report is creating the artificial impression that a topic or candidate is more relevant than it actually is. G1 compares the mechanism to a hypothetical scene: if a hundred people walked into a public square and shouted the same phrase at the same time, passersby might think that was the main topic of the day. On social media, thousands of messages repeating the same idea can produce a similar effect, making a topic or candidate appear to have more support than it really does and reinforcing the views of those who already agreed.
Curzi cautioned, however, that not every bot is used for illegal purposes or political manipulation. According to the professor, some bots are dedicated to activities considered positive, such as automated monitoring of bills and government actions, a tool that can even help track institutional politics itself.
The report is part of a G1 series aimed at explaining to voters how Brazil's 2026 elections work, covering the role of polls, the offices up for election, Congress and the new technologies expected to mark this year's campaign.