Brazil Election Tarnished by Allegations of Social Media Interference
President Lula and challenger Bolsonaro each accuse the other of improper use of platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram, leading to calls for disqualification.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's campaign has asked for the disqualification of right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro, citing alleged interference by the social media company Meta in the run-up to Sunday's presidential election run-off. The petition, filed with Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE) on Wednesday, accuses Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook, of limiting Lula's campaign content to favor Bolsonaro.
In response, Bolsonaro's campaign has filed its own petition seeking to disqualify Lula, alleging the mass dissemination of government posts on WhatsApp. Meta has denied treating the campaigns unequally and stated it would comply with any court order to ensure fair treatment.
The allegations follow concerns raised by UN experts regarding discrepancies in how each campaign has been able to reach voters on Meta's platforms. A report led by the UN's special rapporteur on freedom of expression highlighted incidents such as temporary interruptions of one candidate's campaign account, differences in user engagement, and restrictions on posts. The report cited information suggesting that accounts linked to one side of the presidential race were disproportionately curtailed.
Lula is seeking a fourth term in office. He narrowly lost the first round of voting on October 4 but did not fall short of the 50% threshold required for an outright win. The campaign's petition to the TSE also seeks an investigation into Bolsonaro and his vice-presidential candidate, Alfredo Gaspar, for alleged abuse of economic power and improper use of social networks. It further requests Bolsonaro be declared ineligible for elections for eight years following 2026.
Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, has accused Lula of abusing political and economic power. His campaign claims the government has used personal data from official databases to send mass messages on WhatsApp promoting social programs. Opinion polls indicate the run-off election will be extremely close, with Brazil's 159 million registered voters preparing to cast their ballots.