Brazilian Court Orders Removal of AI-Generated Defamatory Political Video
A Brazilian court ordered the removal of an AI-generated video published by the Partido Liberal on Instagram that used deepfake technology to depict fictional interviews portraying supporters of the Partido dos Trabalhadores as drug addicts. The court found the video exceeded the limits of political speech and defamed the PT by creating false associations between the party and drug dependency.
What happened
The Partido Liberal (PL) published an AI-generated video on Instagram on 12 July 2025 that used deepfake technology to depict fictional interviews. The video showed computer-generated characters claiming to be former supporters of the Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT) who described themselves as addicted to the PT, using drug dependency analogies.
The video contained fabricated statements such as 'I was a PT user for ten years' and 'Petism destroys people's lives', and associated the PT with drug legalization, tax increases, and corruption including 'theft of elderly people's pensions'. A disclaimer stated the content was satire and provided a helpline for drug addiction.
Reported impact
The PT filed a lawsuit arguing the video exceeded the limits of political debate and violated democratic principles by defaming the party and its supporters. The court found the video created a clear association between PT supporters and drug dependency in a pejorative manner.
Index analysis
The judge stated the material was 'grotesque' and 'devoid of any constructive purpose of citizenship', and concluded it violated principles of free expression by crossing into abuse and injury to the PT's honor.
Governance controls
The Tribunal de Justiça do Distrito Federal e Territórios issued a preliminary injunction ordering Meta to remove the content within three days, with a daily fine of R$ 2,000 limited to 20 days for non-compliance. The decision was signed on 13 August 2025 and the content was subsequently removed from Instagram and Facebook.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.