Online attacks manifest in many forms, always with the same goal: to undermine freedom of expression and to force the voices and opinions of minorities out of the public debate, even online | Art: Magno Borges/Agência Mural This text was written by Cleberson Santos, Katia Flora, Livia Alves, Luís Antônio, and Matheus Oliveira and was originally published on August 1, 2023, on Agência Mural's website. The report was produced with support from Artigo 19, and is republished here under a partnership with Global Voices, with edits. Slanderous comments, insults, attempted hacks, and threats. Online attacks have become a common problem for influencers, activists, and journalists in Brazil, usually coming from those attempting to diminish or silence them. The situation is even more delicate for communicators from minority groups, people of non-white ethnicities, women, and LGBTQ+ people. A survey conducted by Agência Mural in partnership with the NGO Artigo 19 (Article 19) talked to 82 journalists, communicators, and influencers from various states, particularly from the São Paulo region. Over half (54 percent) said they had received threats or been intimidated online, while 46 percent reported that they had already suffered hacking attempts on social media profiles. The problem is also revealed by other studies. The report “Journalism faces hate networks in Brazil” by Reporters Without Borders (RWB) highlighted that, in 2022, during the election campaign, every three seconds a journalist was the victim of an online attack. Another study, “The impact of disinformation and political violence on the internet against journalists, communicators, and LGBT+ [people],” by Gênero E Número (Gender and Number) and RWB shows that eight out of 10 Brazilian journalists have changed their behavior on social media in recent years to protect themselves from online attacks. Lua Mota, a non-binary illustrator and comic artist, says they have no peace on social media: “A day I spend without receiving something is a happy day.” Here, “something” refers to criticism and slanderous comments. Lua identifies as pansexual and uses neutral pronouns to identify themselves. As an illustrator, comic artist, designer, and LGBTQ+ activist, Lua publishes comics about sexuality and gender on Instagram and Twitter. “All my posts talking about neutral language get attacked, sometimes it comes at once, en masse. From saying that I don't exist, because non-binary people don't exist in their heads, to swearing,” they said. Although they never sought legal help, they say the cases have affected their mental health. A post shared by Little Goat | Lua Mota (@littlegoatcomic) A cartoon asks: Why is gender neutral language necessary? In 2022, during the election period, the journalist and online influencer Mateus Fernandes, 23, suffered constant attacks after the publication of a report on public policies related to funk music. “As soon as I posted the report on my profile, there were a lot of hacking attempts against me, very quickly,” Mateus recalled, mentioning as well racist and aggressive comments. “When I went to look at the comments, there were a lot of robots, it was something that really startled me.” As a journalist who works on stories of marginalized communities and blackness, he says he feels that his work makes some people uncomfortable — Fernandes hits a monthly average of 80,000 people on his Instagram account. “There were things that hindered me, that made me more sensitive about posting my experiences,” he said. Clara Becker, director of Redes Cordiais, a Brazilian media education organization for influencers, highlighted that, unlike haters, trolls, who usually target communicators and activists, seek to create chaos and disrupt public debate. According to Becker, this type of psychological impact on those targeted by attacks, such as Fernandes and Lua, is common and is part of a silencing strategy. “It's an impact that can mess with a person's life, they develop panic syndrome, anxiety, not being able to leave the house, being afraid.” Anonymity is an important way to defend freedom of expression online, as it's only this that allows many people who are threatened or monitored to speak out. However, those who try to attack and silence diverse voices online also use it to hide. “Everything that is a crime outside the internet is also a crime on the internet. Intimidation, swearing, shaming, insults,” Becker explained. The collective Nós, Mulheres da Periferia (We, Women of the Periphery) lost access to its Instagram profile for 24 hours, days after covering demonstrations against then-president Jair Bolsonaro, in May 2021. The hackers changed their posted messages. To recover the account, they contacted Facebook (now Meta).