Deepfakes, Democracy, and gender-based political violence

social harms in the São Paulo elections under the Big Tech regime

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24862/rcdu.v17i2.2428

Abstract

This article analyzes political gender-based violence perpetrated through deepfakes in elections, with a legal-criminological perspective exemplified by the 2024 São Paulo municipal election. The central problem investigates the social harms generated by these criminal behaviors. The objective is to identify and analyze such harms, focusing on the use of AI for gender-based attacks. Methodologically, a deductive approach and a monographic procedure are adopted, with indirect bibliographic and documentary research. The conclusion is that the harms are multifaceted, operating on both the individual (violation of honor, image, and privacy) and collective (erosion of democratic trust and reinforcement of patriarchal stereotypes) dimensions. Deepfakes are shown to be instruments of oppression, amplified by the logic of digital platforms. Regulatory inadequacies and institutional delays exacerbate victimization, demanding an integrated response that addresses both technological tools and the sexist structures that sustain them.

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Author Biographies

Felipe da Veiga Dias, Atitus Educação

Pós-doutor em Ciências Criminais pela Pontifícia Universidade Católica - PUC/RS. Doutor em Direito pela Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul (UNISC), com período de Doutorado Sanduíche na Universidad de Sevilla (Espanha). Professor do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Direito – Mestrado e Doutorado - na Atitus Educação – Passo Fundo – RS, onde coordena o Grupo de Pesquisa “Criminologia, Violência e Controle”

 

Fabiane Magrini Pigatto, Atitus Educação

Mestre em Direito pela Atitus Educação, Passo Fundo RS. Pós-Graduada em Gestão Educacional pela Universidade Federal de Santa Maria. Graduada em Direito pela Universidade do Vale do Taquari – UNIVATES e em Pedagogia pela Universidade Federal de Santa Maria - UFSM. Integrante do Grupo de Pesquisa “Criminologia, Violência e Controle” (Atitus Educação).        

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Published

2026-07-23

How to Cite

Dias, F. da V., & Magrini Pigatto, F. (2026). Deepfakes, Democracy, and gender-based political violence: social harms in the São Paulo elections under the Big Tech regime. The UNIFOR Law Course Journal, 17(2), e262428. https://doi.org/10.24862/rcdu.v17i2.2428

Issue

Vol. 17 No. 2 (2026): Edição Especial - Democracia e Big Techs: Guerra de Afetos em outros olhares

Section

Special Issue - Democracy and Big Techs: The War of Affects from Other Perspectives

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