Brazil's TSE demands Meta explain alleged election interference favoring Flavio Bolsonaro

Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE) on Saturday ordered Meta to explain allegations that its platforms systematically suppressed content from President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's re-election campaign while boosting Senator Flavio Bolsonaro. The court set a 48-hour deadline for the company to clarify whether it reduced the reach of Lula's publications and to address specific anomalies identified by the campaign.

Lula's coalition, Brasil da Esperanca, filed a formal complaint with the TSE arguing that Meta restricted the delivery of campaign posts and profiles aligned with the president, compromising fair competition. The coalition cited a network of 255 AI-managed Instagram accounts that allegedly generated 58 million views in one month attacking Lula, the Workers' Party, and First Lady Rosangela Lula da Silva. Fact-checking project VigIA identified 64 synthetic content pieces between October 1-5, of which 61 remained online.

“The set of episodes demands rigorous investigation into the possibility of algorithmic manipulation and foreign interference in the Brazilian electoral process.”

Technical reports from the coalition claim Flavio Bolsonaro's posts received disproportionately higher engagement despite fewer followers, while Lula's videos showed inconsistencies such as more likes than views. Days before the first round, Meta temporarily disabled the president's Facebook page and restricted his advertising account. The jurists' collective Prerrogativas warned these episodes suggest algorithmic manipulation and possible foreign interference, demanding a rigorous investigation.

Meta's Brazil office rejected the accusations as "simply false and not backed by facts," stating it complies with electoral rules. The Lula campaign has also accused former U.S. President Donald Trump of attempting electoral interference to favor Bolsonaro. Flavio Bolsonaro led the first round with 47% of votes against Lula's 45%, contrary to pre-election polls. The runoff is scheduled for October 25.