The science media channel Nunca vi 1 cientista was ordered to remove a video and pay R$1,000 in moral damages. In the 2023 post, biologist Ana Bonassa displayed an image of a profile that advertised a “deworming drug” as a treatment for diabetes. Bonassa, who until 2022 studied insulin secretion mechanisms and their role in diabetes, explained in a humorous way how the disease develops, as well as the damage it causes to the human body. The aim was to make it clear that diabetes is not a parasitic disease, and that it is not possible to “manage a disease by treating something that does not cause it.” She and pharmacist Laura Marise will appeal the ruling, which claims that “the informative video caused harm to her [the author of the misinformation] image and the sales of her services.” According to Bonassa, the precedent could make science communicators fearful of reporting on cases involving profits, as well as the clear risk to the lives of people suffering from the diseases in question. “We try to avoid conflicts, but in cases like this we need to expose the authors of the misinformation” (Nunca vi 1 cientista, September 14).
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