In Brazil’s 2026 presidential runoff, incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his supporters accused Meta of systematically favouring far-right opponent Flávio Bolsonaro. The controversy escalated after Mr Lula was temporarily barred for nearly 24 hours from boosting feed posts on Instagram, whilst Mr Bolsonaro’s digital campaign operated normally. Lula’s campaign formally petitioned the TSE, arguing that Meta engaged in algorithmic bias and foreign political pressure. In response, Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court (TSE) ordered Meta to ensure equal operational treatment between the candidates under threat of fines.
On 16 October, Meta dismissed the accusations as unfounded, attributing the disparities to automated anti-fraud mechanisms, prompt safeguards, and a wider global data outage. In a formal submission to the TSE on 20 October, Meta denied allegations of partisan bias in the presidential election runoff between Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro, asserting that its platforms treat both candidacies equally and without discrimination.
by Observer Research Foundation – UN warns Meta’s restrictions harm elections
