Daijiworld Media Network - São Paulo
São Paulo, Oct 17: Meta has denied allegations of political bias in Brazil’s presidential campaign, a day after the country’s electoral court ordered the tech giant to ensure equal treatment for incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and opposition candidate Flávio Bolsonaro ahead of their October 25 runoff.
The lawsuit was filed by Lula’s campaign, which accused Meta, the parent company of Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, of using biased algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) restrictions to favour Bolsonaro. The company rejected the allegations, saying the incidents cited by the campaign were caused by unrelated technical glitches, anti-fraud measures and regulatory compliance requirements.
Meta said two global technical disruptions occurred earlier in October. One affected view counts on Instagram Reels in more than 100 countries, although content distribution continued normally. The other briefly disrupted the creation of advertisements from existing Instagram posts through one of its tools.
Addressing concerns about Meta AI, the company said a loophole involving generic first names combined with electoral numbers temporarily prevented some users from generating images of Lula, while image generation involving Bolsonaro remained possible for another day.
However, Meta did not directly address the electoral court’s finding that Bolsonaro’s Instagram and WhatsApp channels received algorithmic recommendations, a practice the court ruled illegal.
“Brazilian voters deserve facts, not a political narrative constructed by combining unrelated technical issues,” Meta said in a statement. It added that it would continue enforcing its rules, complying with Brazilian electoral legislation, correcting errors and ensuring a level playing field for users.
The company maintained that it applies the same rules to all candidates, political parties and viewpoints, denying that it suppresses content to disadvantage any side or grants preferential treatment to another. It also said it would continue to defend itself against the lawsuit.
Earlier on Friday, Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo reported, citing leaked internal communications, that Meta employees had acknowledged restrictions on the Lula campaign’s ability to promote certain posts because of technical glitches and algorithmic limitations. Company engineers reportedly attributed the problems to system failures and automated errors.
Since taking office in 2023, Lula has introduced online protections for women and minors, issued decrees on platform accountability and worked with Brazil’s Supreme Court to hold companies responsible for illegal content and misinformation. Platforms including Google, Meta and TikTok have also faced requirements to monitor and remove hate speech, racism and incitement to violence in the country.
The approach has strained relations with the Trump administration and drawn criticism from those who argue that stricter platform regulation could threaten freedom of expression.
The dispute comes amid broader international scrutiny of the role of social media platforms in elections. In Germany, a 2019 constitutional court ruling required Facebook to restore a political party’s blocked page, reinforcing protections for political participation on the platform. In Romania, the 2024 presidential election was annulled amid concerns over covert online influence, including alleged TikTok amplification and bot networks favouring pro-Russia candidate Calin Georgescu.
Adding to Meta’s challenges in Brazil, a study released this week by researchers at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro found that the platform had carried at least 1,613 allegedly irregular political advertisements between July and September. The ads reportedly generated 171 million views and around 2 million reais, equivalent to approximately $400,000, in revenue, with funding primarily originating from the United States.
Brazilian law prohibits entities other than political parties, candidates or coalitions from purchasing electoral advertisements, according to communication professor Marie Santini, who participated in the study. She criticised Meta over what she described as repeated failures to comply with electoral laws.
The electoral court’s order and the ongoing lawsuit place Meta under renewed scrutiny as Brazil prepares for the October 25 presidential runoff.