Meta Complies With Brazil Electoral Court Order on Equal Treatment for Candidates
The tech giant stated it has implemented measures to ensure President Lula da Silva and rival Flávio Bolsonaro receive equal treatment on its platforms.
Tech giant Meta announced Tuesday that it has complied with an order from Brazil's electoral court to provide equal treatment to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and opposition candidate Flávio Bolsonaro on its platforms. The directive came ahead of the runoff election scheduled for October 25.
The case, initiated by Lula's campaign on October 15, accused Meta, the parent company of Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, of using biased algorithms and artificial intelligence restrictions to favor Bolsonaro. The accusations led to protests outside Meta's Sao Paulo office on Monday.
Meta stated it has "completed the implementation of measures to comply with the directive from the electoral court," adding that the court-ordered restrictions do not impact organic posts. The company also confirmed the implementation of a dedicated human review system for automatic blocks or limitations on presidential campaign ad accounts, requiring manual evaluation within two hours.
In a separate statement, Meta reiterated that recent operational incidents stemmed from technical limitations rather than political partiality, denying allegations of bias, manipulation, or intentional interference in Brazil's elections. The company also affirmed it has enforced comprehensive measures to adhere to electoral advertisement regulations and safeguard the integrity of the nation's democratic process.
Bolsonaro secured 47% of the vote in the first round on October 4, compared to Lula's 45%, indicating a closely contested race. Representatives from Meta and the presidential campaigns were expected to meet with a judge in Brasilia on Tuesday to further discuss the situation, according to Tatiana Cochlar, a spokesperson for Brazil's electoral court.
This intervention by Brazil's electoral court mirrors actions taken in Europe. In Germany, a 2019 court ruling compelled Facebook to reinstate a blocked political page to uphold political equality. Romania's presidential election was annulled five years later due to hidden TikTok bot networks that promoted a pro-Russia candidate, prompting the nation to enact legislation requiring tracking codes on political social media messages.