Brazil court orders Meta to prove it gives Lula, Bolsonaro campaign content equal treatment

We and our partners do the following data processing based on your consent: store and/or access information on a device, personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development Brazil court orders Meta to prove it gives Lula, Bolsonaro campaign content equal treatment Brazil’s top electoral court has given Meta 24 hours to prove it is treating campaign content from incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro equally on its online platforms, threatening a daily fine for noncompliance. The ruling follows allegations from Lula's campaign that the social media giant is suppressing Lula’s campaign content ahead of Sunday’s closely contested presidential runoff. Opposition presidential candidate Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, left, spreads his arms as Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva gestures during a televised presidential debate one week before the presidential runoff election in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, October 18, 2026. © Andre Penner, Brazil's top electoral court on Monday gave US social media giant Meta 24 hours to prove it is treating President Luiz Inacia Lula da Silva and his right-wing opponent Flavio Bolsonaro equally.

The order came after Lula's campaign alleged that Meta, which owns Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, is suppressing his online content in order to boost Bolsonaro ahead of Sunday's decisive runoff election. Meta has denied taking any actions to favour one side in the election, but previously said that some of Lula's campaign ads had been mistakenly deactivated due to technical errors not isolated to Brazil. Read moreHow Lula’s successes in Brazil may have paved the way for his presidential defeat Lula's campaign has also alleged inconsistencies on WhatsApp's artificial intelligence tool, saying Lula-related election content had been limited but not for Bolsonaro.

On Thursday, a judge from the Superior Electoral Court ordered Meta to ensure the same rules were applied to both candidates through the runoff election, among other directives, with a potential daily fine of 500,000 Reals ($100,000) for noncompliance. The ruling on Monday said that Meta had failed to demonstrate compliance with the order and increased the penalty to one million Reals ($200,000) per day, according to a court document seen by AFP. Read moreBrazil's Lula accuses social media giant Meta of election interference amid tight run-off campaign "The continued noncompliance, just a few days before the runoff election, demonstrates that the fine imposed was insufficient," it said.

Watch moreFlavio Bolsonaro: A profile of Brazil's potential president Earlier this month, 45-year-old Bolsonaro, son of the far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, secured a first-round lead over Lula, who turns 81 next week, and polls predict a close battle for the runoff on October 25. Brazil's Lula, Bolsonaro clash in bitter debate ahead of election run-off Thousands protest Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro, fearing far-right return 1. 1 ## Chaotic scenes as organisers of French protests claim 800,000 have taken to streets As it happened France 2. 2 ## Macron denounces 'unbridled' violence as France hit by new clashes As it happened Europe 3. 3 ## Israeli settlers attack European delegation convoy in West Bank, beat French mayor Middle East 4. 4 ## Looters seize on massive French protests to raid and vandalise shops France 5. 5 ## Fires and clashes rock France amid massive nationwide protests France 6. 6 ## ‘Standing up for democracy’: Atlanta ‘No Kings’ rally draws Trump critics ahead of midterms On the ground Americas © 2026 Copyright France 24 - All rights reserved. France 24 is not responsible for the content of external websites.

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