Meta accused of election interference

A report titled Stop on images published on October 20, 2026, alleged that Meta, the American tech company, is interfering in the Brazilian presidential election. Demonstrators gathered in São Paulo on Tuesday to protest against claims that Meta's platforms showed bias against current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and in favor of his opponent, Flávio Bolsonaro.

Brazilian court demands impartiality

The Brazilian electoral court ordered Meta to treat Lula and Bolsonaro equally on its platforms ahead of the October 25 second-round election. Meta was given 24 hours to prove it had not biased its algorithms or content moderation in favor of Bolsonaro.

Allegations of algorithmic bias

Lula’s campaign team accused Meta of using its algorithms, artificial intelligence, and content moderation to favor Bolsonaro. The company, founded by Mark Zuckerberg, faces legal action over these claims as the election approaches.

Previous issues with Lula's campaign

Before the first round of the election, Lula’s team reported that Meta temporarily blocked their ability to run advertisements on Facebook. This was one of several technical problems they encountered with Meta's platforms, which include Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp.

Court ruling against bias

On October 15, Brazil’s Supreme Court judge Marco Aurélio Bellizze ruled that Meta could not unfairly limit political content or favor one candidate over another. The court ordered Meta to ensure its AI tools remained impartial and imposed a daily fine of 500,000 reais if the company failed to comply.

New deadline and increased penalty

A new court ruling on Monday gave Meta 24 hours to prove it had not interfered in the election. The daily fine was doubled if the company did not respond within the deadline.

Internal messages show restrictions

Brazilian media Folha de S.Paulo obtained internal Meta messages showing the company restricted Lula’s Instagram promotions and recommended Bolsonaro’s profile. Brazilian law prohibits algorithmic recommendations, meaning candidates rely on promotion to increase visibility.

Meta denies accusations

Meta denied the allegations, citing global technical issues and compliance with regulations. It claimed some problems affected Instagram Reels view counts and ad creation. However, it did not explain why Bolsonaro’s accounts received algorithmic recommendations.

Public protests continue

Lula’s supporters continue to protest outside Meta’s Brazilian headquarters, rejecting the company’s claims and demanding accountability for alleged election interference.