Brazil electoral court orders Meta to prove equal treatment of Lula and Bolsonaro ahead of runoff

Deadline imposed by the electoral court Brazil's Superior Electoral Court has instructed Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, to provide detailed evidence within 24 hours that its algorithms and artificial‑intelligence tools treat President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro without bias. The deadline, set by Judge Marco Aurélio Bellizze, expires on Tuesday, five days before the presidential runoff scheduled for 25 October.

Potential financial penalty If Meta does not satisfy the court's requirements, the daily fine imposed on the company will double, rising from 500,000 reais to one million reais per day. The order remains in effect until the runoff, and it explicitly prohibits the platform from reducing the reach of either candidate's posts, limiting recommendation feeds, or altering search results in favour of one side.

Background of the dispute The ruling follows a complaint lodged by Lula's campaign, which alleges that the reach of the president's profiles was curtailed and that Meta's AI tool refused to generate images supporting Lula while doing so for Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro's campaign has also approached the court, claiming that Meta allowed negative advertisements against the senator and that AI‑generated material supporting Lula circulated without the legally required label.

Judge's criticism of Meta's response Judge Bellizze criticised Meta for extending an earlier 72‑hour deadline to five days, citing "technical difficulties," and for submitting reports in English that were not translated into Portuguese. He also noted that some documents were presented out of context. The court now requires Meta to submit comprehensive reports in Portuguese and, by Wednesday at the latest, to either restore any paid advertising from Lula's campaign that was not delivered or confirm that no such ads remain pending.

Meta's position and operational concerns Meta has stated that it complies with Brazilian electoral regulations and will provide the court with additional technical information that may not have been fully considered. A company spokeswoman warned that requirements such as mandatory human review of political ads could compel Meta to suspend all political advertising on its platforms.

Political context Polls at the time of the ruling indicated a statistical tie between Lula and Bolsonaro. The two candidates are scheduled to debate again on Friday on TV Globo, underscoring the heightened scrutiny of the electoral environment as the runoff approaches.