OMM Newsroom
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s campaign has asked the country’s top electoral court to disqualify right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro, alleging that “Meta” restricted its content to boost Bolsonaro’s campaign ahead of Sunday’s presidential run-off. BBC World reported the dispute.
In a petition filed on Wednesday, Lula’s campaign accused the company, which owns “WhatsApp”, “Instagram” and “Facebook”, of limiting the reach of its content. Bolsonaro, in a separate petition, sought Lula’s disqualification, alleging the mass distribution of government posts on “WhatsApp”.
“Meta” has denied treating the campaigns unequally.
The petitions followed a statement from UN experts on Wednesday expressing concern about reported differences in the campaigns’ ability to reach voters on “Meta” platforms. A report led by the UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression said the company must ensure a level playing field online during the election.
The report cited alleged “temporary interruptions of one candidate’s campaign account”, differences in audience engagement, user feeds, view counts and reach, and restrictions on that campaign’s “Instagram” posts. It said information, including from “Meta” employees, suggested that accounts linked to one side of the presidential race had been disproportionately curtailed.
“Meta” has denied taking action to favour either side and said it would comply with a Brazilian court order to treat Bolsonaro and Lula equally. Lula’s campaign had earlier filed a complaint alleging that accounts and content linked to Bolsonaro had been boosted. Users also reported that “Meta”’s artificial intelligence tools were not generating images related to Lula.
Lula is seeking a fourth term. Bolsonaro narrowly beat him in the first round on 4 October but did not secure the 50% of valid votes required to win outright.
In Wednesday’s filing to Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court (TSE), Lula’s campaign asked for Bolsonaro and his vice-presidential candidate, Alfredo Gaspar, to be investigated over alleged “abuse of economic power and improper use of social network”. It also called for Bolsonaro to be barred from standing for election for eight years following the 2026 election.
Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of convicted former president Jair Bolsonaro, accused Lula of “abuse of political and economic power”. He alleged that the government had used personal data from official databases to send mass messages on “WhatsApp” promoting social programmes.
Opinion polls suggest Sunday’s run-off will be close. Brazil has 159 million registered voters.
