In a true case of mistaken identity, Marina Dias, a magazine reporter from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, suffered online harassment on social media because she was mistaken with Folha de S.Paulo's reporter Marina Dias.
Folha's Dias reported on Tuesday (25th) that Jair Bolsonaro's (PSL) ex-wife, Ana Cristina Valle, claimed in 2011 to a Brazilian diplomat in Norway that she received death threats from her former husband, currently running for president in the upcoming October general elections. Valle afterward denied on social media that the conversation ever happened.
According to the Belo Horizonte Marina Dias, personal data like telephone number, email address, date of birth and personal photos were all leaked on social media. "There were so many horrible comments, so much slander. I can't even talk about it," she said.
Dias said she received an email accusing her of publishing fake news and a Twitter user sent her a threat: "you'll get what you deserve".
She changed all her passwords, blocked her social media accounts and she will also file a report at the police division for cyber crimes. She has also sought advice from a lawyer.
The hostilities began after a tweet from comedian Danilo Gentili, saying that people needed to investigate who wrote Folha's news piece. Quickly a follower replied identifying the wrong Marina Dias and sharing her photo. Afterward, Gentili deleted his tweet and shared another post, this time from a friend of Dias', explaining that she was not Folha's reporter.
Translated by NATASHA MADOV