Historical series Itaú Unibanco launches #ÉFake (it’s fake) platform to combat fake news about the bank
The goal is to enlighten clients and the general public about fake news related to the bank and the financial sector; monitoring and identification of fake news circulating in digital media will be done in an unprecedented partnership with Quaest
December 2023 – Itaú Unibanco has just launched the #ÉFake (it’s fake) platform, an initiative to help combat fake news and disinformation related to the bank and that also affects the financial sector. The platform, which is already available for access on the website www.itau.com.br/imprensa/efake, will have an instant messaging and email channel for agile communication with the commercial and customer service areas.
Powered by Q-Insider, Quaest’s exclusive data collection and mining platform, the #ÉFake platform is able to quickly track and identify fake news related to the Itaú brand on websites, blogs, social networks and messaging groups. With the project, employees, clients, investors, journalists and society as a whole have access to information about fake news circulating on these platforms, thus preventing them from being misled or sharing fake content. The bank’s Corporate Communications team is in charge of managing the platform and curating its content.
Pâmela Vaiano, Corporate Communications Superintendent at Itaú Unibanco, points out that fake news represents a growing threat to both society and companies, as renowned brands are used to spread lies and fear, confusing people when it comes to making decisions. With the digitalization of social interfaces and the media, there is an enormous facility for disseminating information, including fake news, which has become a major global problem.
“Systematic misinformation confuses people and makes them vulnerable. At Itaú, we deal with more than 70 million customers and 100,000 employees every day, in addition to our thousands of shareholders. That’s why we need effective tools to foster trustworthy communication. The integrity of brands like Itaú’s depends on the ability of companies to promote ethical, transparent and accurate communication, and #ÉFake platform was born with the aim of supporting us in this mission,” says the executive.
For Professor Felipe Nunes, founding partner of Quaest and one of the country’s leading experts on the subject, the devastating effect of fake news should not be underestimated. His scientific studies show that 88% of Brazilians have received some kind of news they consider fake in the last year, and 46% of these have shared the content with friends and family anyway.
“Fake news is produced professionally and tends to induce people to make impulsive, fear-based decisions. The work we’re doing with Itaú monitors, selects, classifies and debunks fake news that can lead thousands of Brazilians to lose money because of wrong decisions. It’s fundamental work to protect clients and the market,” concludes Nunes.
About Quaest
Quaest is a data intelligence house that combines scientific rigor and technology to generate insights that lead clients to make informed strategic decisions. They have seven years’ experience in market and opinion research, acting as a data miner to provide insights for the most varied scenarios.