Brazil court order tests Meta in Lula runoff

On October 15, 2026, the campaign of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva filed a complaint at Brazil’s top electoral court accusing Meta, the owner of Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, of biased treatment during the presidential race. The filing alleged that Meta’s algorithms and artificial intelligence restrictions had the effect of favoring opposition candidate Flávio Bolsonaro ahead of an October 25 runoff election.

Lawyers for Lula’s campaign stated that campaign materials and organic posts supporting the president were subjected to unjustified reductions in reach. At the same time, they alleged that accounts and paid advertisements associated with Flávio Bolsonaro achieved disproportionately high visibility on Meta’s platforms.

As part of the complaint, the Lula campaign asked the court to order Meta to compensate for the alleged harm. The requested remedy included a requirement that Meta double Lula’s reach to make up for what the campaign described as lost traction in the crucial final stretch before the runoff vote.

On the same day the complaint was filed, Justice Marco Aurélio Bellizze of Brazil’s top electoral court issued an order directing Meta to adopt immediate measures to secure equal treatment for the two presidential candidates. The ruling applies to Meta’s major services, including Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, during the runoff period.

The order prohibits Meta from reducing the distribution of political content in a way that might generate an imbalance between the candidacies. It also bars the company from restricting searches or removing posts if those actions could distort parity between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro in terms of online exposure.

In addition, the decision requires Meta to ensure that its artificial intelligence tools apply identical criteria to both campaigns. This obligation covers how AI systems handle political content linked to each candidate, with the clear aim of preventing asymmetrical treatment driven by automated systems.

To reinforce compliance, the court attached a financial penalty to the ruling. Meta faces a fine of 500,000 reais per day if it fails to follow the mandated measures designed to guarantee equal treatment between the two presidential contenders.

Meta has rejected the allegations that its platforms or algorithms are biased in favor of any candidate. In submissions to the electoral court, the company acknowledged that it has experienced technical glitches affecting accounts beyond Brazil, but maintained that it acts in accordance with Brazil’s electoral regulations.

In public reporting on the case, Meta declined to comment on the court’s ruling. The combination of the Lula campaign’s complaint, the binding court order, and the potential daily fines places Meta under close legal and regulatory scrutiny in Brazil during the final days before the October 25 runoff election.