Scientific disinformation driving Brazil’s Covid-19 response: a networked mobilisation against evidence-based policy-making

Thesis

This thesis examines how an anti-scientific network in Brazil undermined scientific authority during the Covid-19 pandemic. This research analyses Parliamentary Inquiry Commission (CPI da Pandemia) proceedings, official communications from politicians, and news articles detailing the promotion of unproven ‘Early Treatment’ drugs over evidence-based public health measures. By combining Manuel Castells’ network society theory with Sheila Jasanoff's concepts from science and technology studies, this research demonstrates how this network leveraged communication power to legitimise ineffective treatments and reshape public understanding of science. The network, materialised by the convergence of interests in several fields (e.g. medical, political, and economic, circumvented Brazil’s public health system (SUS). The SUS is an institution designed to integrate scientific expertise with social input for democratic governance of public health. The network’s success stemmed not simply from spreading misinformation, but from three mechanisms to promote ineffective drugs: constructing parallel forms of scientific authority that appeared legitimate; exploiting institutional weaknesses to create ‘accountability gaps’ that shielded network actors from liability; and using social media to sustain public influence while evading institutional procedures for drug approval. The research further reveals how democratic institutions adapted by developing their own forms of networked power. The CPI, in its attempt to track accountability, was hampered by the diffuse power that these loosely connected individuals and their communications produced. In turn, the CPI made innovative use of social media to build public support and gather evidence during its investigations. This adaptation highlights key questions about procedural fairness and internet platform governance, as social media companies increasingly influence public debate and how scientific authority is constructed and contested. As a result, protecting democratic institutions also requires ensuring proper oversight of digital platforms. The findings have implications for maintaining institutional effectiveness and scientific integrity in an era of networked communication and contested expertise.

Authors: Vieira Machado, CC

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-2adqkdeee
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: platform regulation; Brazil; technology law; content moderation; disinformation; digital public sphere; Covid-19 pandemic; social media platforms; misinformation
• Subjects: Regulatory sciences; Socio-legal studies; Law; Network society; Social sciences