Meta Denies Bias Against Lula in Brazil Race

BRAZIL · ELECTIONS

Meta denies favouring conservative candidate Flávio Bolsonaro in Brazil’s presidential race, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp told the country’s election court. In a filing on Monday 12 October, its Brazilian unit called the charge from President Lula’s campaign false and blamed technical faults.

The answer matters beyond Brazil because a judge there can order a US platform to change how it treats campaigns before the 25 October runoff. Meta denies favouring either side, yet it admitted wrongly suspending the Lula campaign’s advertising account in September.

What Meta Told Brazil’s Election Court

The filing went to Judge Marco Aurélio Bellizze, who handles the complaint at the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), the body that runs national elections. “The claim is false, has not been demonstrated and does not withstand comparison with the facts,” Meta wrote, Estadão and Metrópoles report.

Meta denies that its algorithms follow ideological criteria and says its rules apply equally to every user and every type of content. It called the drop in reach that left-wing accounts describe a “subjective impression of users”, Estadão reports.

Meta did admit a global technical incident on Wednesday 7 October that stopped view counts on Instagram videos from updating for several hours. The fault hit users worldwide and was not limited to political content, so it could not have targeted Lula, the company argued.

It also admitted an error over the campaign’s advertising account, which its systems shut on Wednesday 23 September. An advert was wrongly flagged as a possible fake post about a government social programme, and the block was quickly reversed, Meta said.

What Lula’s Campaign Accused Meta Of

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the sitting president, seeks a fourth term for the left-wing Workers’ Party (PT), chaired by Edinho Silva. His rival, Flávio Bolsonaro, is a senator for the conservative Liberal Party (PL) and the eldest son of former president Jair Bolsonaro.

On Saturday 10 October, Lula’s alliance, Brasil Pronto pra Mais (Brazil Ready for More), accused Meta of “algorithmic selectivity” against his posts. It cited a party study finding that Flávio’s page drew 2.96 times Lula’s engagement despite having 17.2% fewer followers, Agência Brasil reports.

The complaint also pointed to a network of 255 Instagram profiles, allegedly run with artificial intelligence, attacking Lula and First Lady Janja da Silva. The alliance says those profiles drew about 58 million views in a month, SBT News and Congresso em Foco report.

The same Saturday, Judge Bellizze gave Meta 48 hours to explain itself and to preserve its moderation records, advert data and metrics. He made no finding of bias at that stage and asked the fact-checker Agência Lupa and researchers at Democracia em Xeque for their methods.

The Data Meta Will Not Hand Over

Meta argued that detailed data on accounts belonging to people who are not party to the case should stay out of it. Handing it over would go beyond the limits of the dispute and could expose protected information, the company said, according to Estadão.

Meta said it had preserved the logs and web addresses of the posts cited in the complaint, Estadão reports. It also told the court that the reach of Lula’s official account on 7 October was well above its own recent baseline, Metrópoles reports.

PT communications chief Éden Valadares said Meta’s answers do not settle the doubts and asked how many irregular accounts remain active. He also asked on the party’s website whether such “technical problems” hit Lula’s and Flávio’s campaigns equally.

A Separate Case From the WhatsApp Channel Fight

This complaint is not the dispute over Exército do Lula (Lula’s Army), a pro-Lula WhatsApp channel that Flávio’s campaign wanted shut down. The Exército do Lula explainer covers that fight, which turns on Meta’s written promises to the court.

Our guide to what comes next in the Meta ruling tracks that channel case. Meta denies targeting either side and told the court that both camps accuse it of favouring the other.

What It Means for You

For US investors and policymakers, the case shows Brazilian judges asking a California company to open its moderation systems to inspection during a vote. Meta denies any political motive, but the case adds to the strain between Brazil’s courts and US platforms.

For readers who use Facebook or Instagram, Meta’s answer explains why some view counts froze for several hours on 7 October around the world. Meta says the glitch hit creators in more than 100 countries and affected only the counters, not the delivery of videos.

What Happens Next

After Meta’s answer, Lula’s alliance and the Electoral Prosecutor’s Office each have 24 hours to respond, SBT News reports. Judge Bellizze then decides on the campaign’s request for urgent measures against Meta.

Lula’s campaign has also taken its complaint to Brazil’s National Data Protection Authority (ANPD), which polices how companies use personal data. The runoff on Sunday 25 October leaves the judge and the agency less than two weeks to act.

What Prediction Markets Say

On Polymarket, an online prediction market, bettors give Flávio Bolsonaro an 86.2% chance of winning and Lula 14.5% (14 October, 2:35 a.m. ET). About US$181 million has been bet on that market so far.

What Is Not Known

Meta denies any bias, and the court has not yet said whether it accepts the company’s data on how the two candidates’ posts were treated. The judge has not yet ruled on the alliance’s request for urgent measures.

Meta’s full filing, including its answer on the alleged network of 255 AI-run profiles, has not been made public. Nor is it clear whether any ruling can take effect before Brazilians vote on Sunday 25 October.

More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Meta admit favouring Flávio Bolsonaro?

No, Meta denies favouring either candidate and told Brazil’s election court that the accusation is false. It did admit a global view-count glitch on 7 October and a wrongful suspension of the Lula campaign’s ad account in September.

Who is judging the complaint against Meta?

Judge Marco Aurélio Bellizze of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) is handling the case brought by Lula’s alliance. He gave Meta 48 hours on Saturday 10 October to explain how it treated both campaigns.

Is this the same case as the Exército do Lula WhatsApp channel?

No, that is a separate case, brought by Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign against a pro-Lula WhatsApp channel. Both cases test how far Brazil’s electoral court can hold Meta to account before the runoff.

When is Brazil’s presidential runoff?

Brazilians vote in the runoff between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro on Sunday 25 October. The runoff guide explains how the vote works and what each result would mean.

Sources: Estadão, Meta denies favouring Flávio’s campaign in reply to the TSE, 13 October 2026; Metrópoles (Manoela Alcântara), Meta denies operating to favour or harm candidates in the elections, 13 October 2026; CartaCapital, Meta admits technical failures but denies favouring Flávio Bolsonaro, 13 October 2026; Workers’ Party (PT), summary of Meta’s filing to the TSE, 13 October 2026; Correio do Povo, Meta denies favouring Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign in reply to the TSE, 13 October 2026; SBT News, TSE gives Meta 48 hours to explain Lula’s reach, 10 October 2026; Congresso em Foco, TSE questions Meta over possible restriction of Lula campaign, 10 October 2026; Agência Brasil, Meta cites technical problems for Lula’s lower reach, 11 October 2026.

This article was drafted with automated assistance and reviewed before publication. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief

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