Meta denies Brazil election bias claims as court orders equal treatment for Lula and Bolsonaro

Meta has denied allegations that its algorithms and AI rules favoured Flavio Bolsonaro during Brazils presidential runoff campaign. The dispute follows an electoral court order requiring equal treatment for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Bolsonaro ahead of the 25 October vote. Meta said recent platform problems were technical glitches and compliance measures, not political bias.

Meta rejected claims of political bias in Brazil’s presidential race on Friday, after a court order on equal treatment. Brazil’s electoral court told the platform to treat Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Flavio Bolsonaro equally. The decision came ahead of the 25 October runoff. Lula’s campaign said Meta’s systems limited reach and tools unfairly.

The legal action focused on Meta’s services, including Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. Lula’s campaign argued that algorithms and AI limits favoured Flavio Bolsonaro. Meta said the problems came from global faults, anti-fraud checks, and compliance work. Meta also said it does not rank content by political ideology. Meta said rules apply evenly.

Meta political bias claims and global technical issues

Meta said two major disruptions happened earlier in October. One froze Instagram Reels view counts in over 100 countries. Meta said distribution of content stayed normal during that period. A second issue hit a tool that creates adverts from existing Instagram posts. Meta said that fault lasted one day and then ended.

On Meta AI, Meta said a loophole caused a short block on some image prompts. Meta said generic first names mixed with electoral numbers caused the system to stop images of the president. Meta said users could still generate images of Flavio Bolsonaro for one more day. Meta said this was temporary and not political.

Meta did not explain one key court finding about recommendations. Brazil’s electoral court ruled it was illegal for Bolsonaro’s Instagram and WhatsApp channels to get algorithmic recommendations. The company statement did not address why those recommendations happened. The lawsuit in Brazil also echoed cases in Romania and Germany. Courts there intervened over election platform balance.

“Brazilian voters deserve facts, not a political narrative constructed by combining unrelated technical issues. Meta will continue to enforce its rules, comply with Brazilian electoral legislation, correct errors when they occur, and ensure a level playing field for everyone who uses our services,\” Meta said.

\”Meta applies the same rules to all candidates, parties, and political viewpoints in Brazil, just as it does for elections worldwide. We do not suppress content to disadvantage any side, nor do we grant preferential treatment to any side. Each of the incidents cited by the Lula campaign has a direct and documented explanation, as described above. None of them reflect political bias,\” it added.

Meta political bias row amid reports and regulation moves

Folha de S. Paulo reported on Friday that leaked internal messages discussed the campaign accounts. The report said Meta staff noted restrictions on the incumbent campaign’s ability to boost some posts. It said the limits came from glitches and algorithm limits. Engineers reportedly linked the issues to system failures and automated errors.

Since taking office in 2023, Lula has pursued tighter rules for large tech firms. Measures included online protections for women and minors, plus decrees on platform accountability. Lula also worked with the Supreme Court on liability for illegal content and misinformation. Since last year, Google, Meta and TikTok must remove hate speech and racism.

That tougher line strained relations with the Trump administration and drew free speech concerns. Meta said it will keep defending itself in the Brazilian case. Meta also pointed to overseas precedents about elections and platform conduct. In 2019, Germany’s Constitutional Court forced Facebook to restore a blocked party page. The ruling stressed political equality standards.

Romania faced a different crisis five years later during its 2024 presidential election. The vote was annulled after hidden TikTok amplification and bot networks helped Calin Georgescu. Romania then passed emergency rules requiring tracking codes on all political social messaging. The change aimed to raise transparency in political advertising systems.

Meta political ads scrutiny after Rio de Janeiro study

A separate study added pressure on Meta in Brazil this week. Researchers at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro said Meta allowed at least 1,613 irregular political ads. The ads drew 171 million views from July to September. The study estimated around 2 million reais, or USD 400,000, in revenue. Funding mainly came from the United States.

Brazil bans electoral ad buying by anyone outside parties, candidates, or coalitions. \”No company should be able to buy ads on Meta, whether from within Brazil or abroad, to promote an electoral campaign,\” said communication professor Marie Santini. \”It is not the first time that Meta is negligent with the electoral law, not the first country. It is a systematic behaviour of the company.\”

The dispute now combines court orders, technical explanations, and wider checks on political ads. Meta maintained that glitches and enforcement systems caused the cited problems. Lula’s side has argued that platform design and limits harmed campaign activity. With the 25 October runoff nearing, the electoral court order required equal treatment across Meta platforms.

With inputs from PTI