Brazil’s top electoral court has ordered Meta to immediately correct algorithmic restrictions on President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s accounts ahead of the presidential runoff against Senator Flavio Bolsonaro. The ruling addresses complaints that the tech giant’s platforms used biased algorithms to disadvantage the incumbent.
Electoral Court Mandates Equal Treatment
Justice Marco Aurelio Bellizze issued the order on Thursday, shortly after Lula filed a formal complaint accusing Meta of using artificial intelligence restrictions to favor the opposition candidate. The judge ruled that the company cannot reduce the distribution of political content, restrict searches, or remove posts in a way that creates an imbalance between the two candidates.
Bellizze specified that Meta must ensure its artificial intelligence tools apply identical criteria to both candidacies. The court’s decision follows a report by the Brazilian daily Folha de S Paulo, which cited internal Meta employee communications. These messages acknowledged that Lula’s Instagram accounts were negatively affected by restrictions during the election period.
The same internal reports indicated that the platform recommended the profile of Senator Flavio Bolsonaro and his WhatsApp channel. Lula’s party stated that some of the president’s posts appeared without a share button and had reduced reach. Options for reactions, sharing, audio, or accelerated speed were also missing from his content.
Meta Denies Political Interference
Meta told Reuters that the technical issues cited in the report were already public. The company stated that the internal conversations referenced by Folha related solely to the severity of the issues, not political interference. A Meta spokesperson emphasized that any suggestion the company favors one side is false.
The court order imposes a fine of 500,000 reais, approximately $98,700, per day if Meta fails to comply. This financial penalty is designed to ensure immediate adherence to the mandate for equal treatment of political candidates.
The ruling comes as Brazil prepares for a presidential runoff on October 25. Lula, the left-wing incumbent, will face right-wing challenger Bolsonaro after the senator delivered a stronger-than-expected performance in the first-round vote earlier this month. The electoral court’s intervention aims to level the playing field before this decisive vote.
Source: Al Jazeera
