Brazil’s electoral court gives Meta 24 hours to show equal treatment of runoff campaigns
The court raised a potential daily fine after finding Meta had not demonstrated compliance with an earlier order. Lula’s campaign alleges further problems; Meta denies favoring either candidate.
Brazil’s top electoral court gave Meta 24 hours on October 19 to show it was treating President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign content equally ahead of their October 25 presidential runoff. The court also increased a potential daily penalty to one million reais after finding Meta had not demonstrated compliance with an earlier order, according to a court document seen by AFP.
The order followed allegations from Lula’s campaign that Meta was suppressing its online content to benefit Bolsonaro. Meta denies taking action to favor either candidate. It has said that some Lula campaign advertisements were mistakenly deactivated because of technical errors that were not isolated to Brazil.
What the electoral court ordered Meta to show
On October 15, a judge from the Superior Electoral Court ordered Meta to apply the same rules to both candidates through the runoff, among other directives. The potential fine was initially 500,000 reais a day. The October 19 ruling raised that amount to one million reais a day after the court said Meta had failed to demonstrate compliance, AFP reported. That finding concerns Meta’s showing to the court; it does not establish that the company deliberately favored a candidate.
Meta owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, putting its advertising and messaging services at the center of the dispute over campaign content. Lula’s campaign has also alleged inconsistent treatment by WhatsApp’s artificial intelligence tool, saying Lula-related election content was limited while Bolsonaro content was unaffected. That account is the campaign’s allegation.
Lula campaign reports further problems before the runoff
Lula’s campaign told the electoral court on October 19 that Meta was not obeying the equal-treatment order, The Rio Times reported, attributing its account to Estadão and O Tempo. The party also reported fresh technical problems that day, according to AFP. Its communications secretary, Eden Valadares, said another complaint would be filed with the electoral court.
Lula’s Workers’ Party has also filed complaints with the Organization of American States and the United Nations special rapporteur on freedom of expression, AFP reported. Meta’s response to the court’s new 24-hour order and the court’s next step were not reported in The Rio Times’ account. The scheduled October 25 vote gives the dispute an immediate deadline for both campaigns.
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Sources and context
- Lula Campaign Says Meta Defies Court OrderThe Rio Times; report attributes material to Estadão and O Tempo
- Brazil court orders Meta to prove it gives Lula, Bolsonaro campaign content equal treatmentFRANCE 24 with AFP
- Meta has 24 hours to prove equal treatment of Lula, Bolsonaro: Brazil courtThe Straits Times; AFP
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.