Kwai becomes target of the MPF for alleged “abuses” of the platform in Brazil

The Chinese social network, Kwai, became the target of a public civil inquiry opened by the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) to investigate possible illicit conduct on the platform in Brazil. According to a statement from the MPF, the objective is to investigate whether the platform “has been promoting false content and profiles to boost views and follower engagement”.

“There is evidence that posts on the network with untrue and appealing information are produced not by regular users of Kwai, but by the platform itself – directly or through advertising companies hired by it, without any identification of their origin”, informed the MPF , this Thursday (18).

The investigation was opened following an anonymous tip. According to the Ministry, the information contained in the complaint “largely coincides with news recently published in the press about the strategy that Kwai would be adopting in Brazil”.

The MPF will investigate the alleged creation of false profiles of public bodies and authorities; the alleged production and circulation of fake news, mainly during the 2022 electoral period; and will analyze whether the platform sought to increase user engagement by broadcasting videos with acts of violence against women and undue exposure of children and adolescents.

The investigation will be conducted by the Regional Public Prosecutor’s Office for Citizens’ Rights, linked to the São Paulo MPF, which has already been conducting, since 2021, another investigation against seven other digital platforms for alleged “omission” in “combating disinformation and digital violence”.

The MPF’s targets in this investigation include YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Whatsapp and Telegram.