The key facts

  • The court ordered Meta not to restrict the reach of political content and to avoid bias in Meta AI ahead of the October 25 runoff
  • Folha de S.Paulo reported on internal Meta staff communications; the company calls it a discussion of technical glitches, not interference
  • A study by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro: 1,613 irregular political ads, 171 million views, about 2 million reais in revenue

Meta denies bias after court ruling

On Friday, Meta rejected accusations of political support for Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro. This came after a court ordered the company to treat him and incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva equally ahead of the runoff election scheduled for October 25.

Reports of internal communications and Lula campaign complaints

The newspaper Folha de S.Paulo reported, citing internal messages it had reviewed, that Meta employees acknowledged that restrictions were hampering the performance of Lula's Instagram accounts, while the platform recommended Bolsonaro's profile and his WhatsApp channel. Lula's campaign claimed that some of his posts lacked repost options, had reduced reach, and experienced technical problems with audio and user interaction. His team said it intended to file a complaint with the Organization of American States, accusing Meta of manipulating social media during the election.

Meta's position

Meta stated that the technical problems were widely known and that internal discussions concerned their severity, not political interference. “Any suggestion that Meta supports one side is false,” the company emphasized, adding that its rules are applied equally to all candidates.

Electoral court ruling

On Thursday, a judge on Brazil's supreme electoral court ordered Meta not to unjustifiably restrict the reach of political content related to any candidate during the runoff campaign period. The ruling also required that the Meta AI chatbot not favor any candidate in election-related content. The dispute arose after Bolsonaro's stronger-than-expected performance in the first round. Lula's government pursues a policy of stricter regulation of technology platforms, including measures against illegal content and disinformation.

Study on advertising and Meta's position on the lawsuit

Separately, a study by researchers at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro showed that Meta allowed at least 1,613 irregular political ads from July to September, which received 171 million views and generated about 2 million reais (approximately 400,000 dollars) in revenue. Meta stated that it will continue to defend itself in court over this lawsuit.