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Meta employees say Lula’s accounts restricted in Brazil election
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Meta employees acknowledged in internal messages that Instagram accounts of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva were hit by restrictions during the election, Folha de S Paulo reported Friday. The paper said it reviewed the messages. The disclosure sharpened scrutiny before Brazil’s October 25 runoff.
The messages also acknowledged Meta recommended the profile of Lula challenger Senator Flavio Bolsonaro and his WhatsApp channel, Folha reported. The report described employee discussions about recommendation and reach. It did not publish every message.
Meta denied political bias. It told Reuters the technical issues cited were already public and that internal conversations concerned only the severity of those issues, not political interference. “Any suggestion that Meta favors one side is false,” Meta said.
The report followed a Thursday ruling by Justice Marco Aurelio Bellizze of Brazil’s top electoral court. He ordered Meta to ensure equal treatment of Lula and Flavio Bolsonaro before the runoff. Meta cannot reduce political content distribution, restrict searches, or remove posts in a way that creates imbalance, the ruling said.
Bellizze also ordered Meta’s artificial intelligence tools to apply identical criteria to both candidacies. Meta must pay 500,000 reais ($98,700) per day if it fails to comply. The decision came after Lula accused Meta, owner of Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, of biased algorithms and AI restrictions favoring the opposition.
Lula’s party said some posts appeared without a share button and had reduced reach. Options for reactions, sharing, audio and accelerated speed were also missing, it said. Social media reach can shape political messaging before a close vote.
The runoff is set for October 25 after Flavio Bolsonaro’s stronger-than-expected first-round performance. Meta now faces legal pressure to prove equal treatment while denying interference. The case will keep platform accountability and election fairness under scrutiny through the vote.
