Bolsonaro didn't create Pix or 5G. And he didn't carry out the transposition of the São Francisco River.

Eduardo Maretti, from Rebuildables - Throughout Jair Bolsonaro's (PL) reelection campaign, his followers' social media accounts intensified the spread of lies and fake news about works or initiatives from other governments that the current president attributes to his administration. Distorted information or even fabrications about non-existent initiatives or projects are common, as are outright lies. This type of fake news is widely disseminated through WhatsApp, the most popular messaging app in Brazil.

One of the most widespread lies spread by Bolsonaro's campaign and followers is that he created Pix, a payment method that quickly became popular and, therefore, is the object of an obsession for Bolsonarism and its bots. The theme is used with variations. In one of them, a sensationalist post says that "Bankers hope that Lula will revoke Pix." The information, duly checked, is obviously false.

There is a lot of fake news and misinformation surrounding the São Francisco River Transposition project. Bolsonaro appears in numerous "reports" posing in front of construction sites of this megaproject. But what he doesn't mention is that, when he took office, about 93% of the works had been completed: 88% by the governments of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff, 5% by Michel Temer, and 7% by the current government.

Another piece of fake news claims that Bolsonaro created "Brazilian 5G technology." But, in reality, Brazilian 5G technology does not exist.

RBA begins today a series of articles about the lies and misinformation spread by Jair Bolsonaro's campaign to win votes. Check out the first 15.

1. Bolsonaro created PIX.

That's not true. Instant payments were only launched under the current administration, but they were created during Michel Temer's (MDB) government.

2. Gave teachers a 33% raise.

That's false. Former Education Minister Cristovam Buarque explained to the UOL portal in February that teachers in general would not receive this increase. Only those who earned less than the minimum wage. "Bolsonaro is simply complying with a 2008 law, a law that I authored when I was a senator," said Cristovam.

3. The Athlete Grant was increased from 1.000,00 to 8.000,00 reais.

The information was analyzed by Agência Lupa and is false. Bolsonaro did not increase the value of the Bolsa Atleta program during the pandemic, as has been reported.

4. Gave a 92% discount to students who owed FIES (student loan program).

The initiative came from the National Congress, not from Bolsonaro.

5. It enabled the transfer of vehicles without a notary's office.

That's not true. RBA contacted a broker in São Paulo, who stated that the procedure has changed for new vehicles starting in 2021. "But, one way or another, you need to have the signature notarized," the person said.

6. Created the Brazilian 5G technology.

There is no Brazilian 5G technology. On May 12, 2013, Samsung Electronics, a South Korean multinational, announced the development of a 5G system. On April 3, 2019, South Korea became the first country to adopt 5G. Hours later, Verizon launched the service in the United States. A variation of this fake news claims that Brazil was a pioneer in the implementation of 5G in Latin America. This is also false. Uruguay inaugurated the first 5G network in Latin America in April 2019. The technology only arrived in Brazil on July 6, 2022.

7. The government achieved record levels in Brazilian exports.

Distortion. Brazil is one of the world's largest exporters of commodities. Soybeans, iron ore, and oil are among the most exported products. Record exports in Brazil are frequent throughout history. These results are not due to Bolsonaro; they happen under all governments, often depending on the international scenario.

8. Transposition of the São Francisco River.

The project hasn't been stalled for decades, as some claim. The São Francisco River project is one of the most frequently used themes for fake news by Bolsonaro's supporters. On social media, there is much praise for Bolsonaro regarding the project, which began during Lula's government. The former president and his successor, Dilma Rousseff, completed 88% of the works, according to official data. Michel Temer completed 5%, and Bolsonaro, 7%.

9. He created the Freshwater program.

This is fake news. The Água Doce (desalination) Program was conceived in 2003 and launched in 2004 during Lula's government. The Bolsonaro government, on the contrary, has practically paralyzed the construction of cisterns in the Northeast over the last four years. From 2003 to 2018, 929 cisterns were delivered for drinking water. During Bolsonaro's term, from January 2019 to June of this year, only 37,6 were delivered, according to a report by Carlos Madeiro on UOL. In April of this year, 350 families in the semi-arid region did not have regular access to drinking water.

10. Eliminated federal taxes on gasoline and gas.

The information, circulating on WhatsApp, is distorted and disseminated with false variations. Some versions show a video where a man claims to have been reimbursed R$ 38 after refueling at a gas station, according to Agência Lupa. The government has not eliminated the federal tax levied on all fuels. 

11. Reduced taxes and had record numbers in the tax collection.

The information is partially false. Bolsonaro did not fulfill his promise to reduce the tax burden. The federal government had the highest tax revenue last year (22,48% of GDP) since 2013, but did not reduce taxes. Only in March of this year did it eliminate the PIS/Cofins tax rate on diesel and cooking gas.

12. He brought back the student games.

Many of these events were suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as were many other social activities, and in some regions they have resumed this year.

13. There is no corruption in the government.

The lie is repeated by Bolsonaro in interviews and debates. But ministers in Jair Bolsonaro's government are the targets of several corruption investigations. This is the case of Ricardo Salles (Environment), accused of participating in a gang involved in the illegal export of timber. And of Milton Ribeiro (Education), who was even arrested by the Federal Police for involvement in a scheme to release funds from the Ministry of Education. In 2021, the then director of logistics at the Ministry of Health, Roberto Dias, was accused of asking for a dollar bribe for each dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

14. More than 380 homes delivered by the Casa Verde e Amarela program.

The information is being disseminated on websites supporting the Bolsonaro government. Beyond that, there are no sources confirming the information. The government created the Casa Verde e Amarela program to replace the Minha Casa Minha Vida program from the PT governments. The 2023 budget proposal, sent by the Ministry of Economy to the National Congress, allocates a paltry R$ 34,1 million to the program, 95% less than in 2022.

15. Brazil achieved a trade surplus.

The Brazilian trade balance has historically shown a surplus (positive balance). Periods when this does not occur are rare. In the 1990s there was a negative balance, due to serious currency crises, such as those in Mexico (1994), Asia (1997), Russia (1998) and Brazil itself (1999).

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