Meta staff reportedly say Lula's Instagram accounts were restricted during Brazil's election
Employees at Meta have acknowledged in internal communications that the Instagram accounts of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva were negatively affected by restrictions during the country's election, according to media reports. The messages were reported on Friday by the Brazilian daily Folha de S Paulo, which said it had reviewed them. They also acknowledged that the platform recommended the profile of Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, Lula's challenger, as well as his WhatsApp channel.
Meta told Reuters that the technical issues cited in the report were already public, and that the conversations in question related solely to the severity of those issues, not to political interference. In a statement it added: "Any suggestion that Meta favors one side is false."
The report follows a Brazilian court ruling on Thursday. A judge in the country's top electoral court, Justice Marco Aurelio Bellizze, ordered Meta to immediately adopt measures to provide equal treatment of the two candidates ahead of the presidential runoff on October 25. Lula, the left-wing incumbent, faces right-wing challenger Bolsonaro in that vote, after a stronger-than-expected first-round performance by the senator earlier in the month.
The ruling came shortly after Lula filed a complaint accusing Meta, which owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, of using biased algorithms and AI restrictions to favour Bolsonaro. Bellizze ruled that Meta cannot reduce the distribution of political content, restrict searches or remove posts in a way that creates an imbalance between the two candidates. The ruling also orders the company to make sure its artificial intelligence tool applies identical criteria to both candidacies. If Meta fails to comply, it must pay a fine of 500,000 reais ($98,700) per day.
According to Lula's party, some of his posts appeared without a share button and had reduced reach. Options for reactions, sharing, audio or accelerated speed were also missing.
Key facts
- Folha de S Paulo reported on Friday, citing internal Meta messages it had reviewed, that employees acknowledged restrictions negatively affected Lula's Instagram accounts.
- The same messages reportedly acknowledged the platform recommended Senator Flavio Bolsonaro's profile and his WhatsApp channel.
- Meta told Reuters the technical issues were already public and the conversations were only about their severity, not political interference.
- On Thursday, Justice Marco Aurelio Bellizze of Brazil's top electoral court ordered Meta to treat Lula and Bolsonaro equally ahead of the October 25 runoff.
- Non-compliance carries a fine of 500,000 reais ($98,700) per day.
Why it matters
The story puts the behaviour of a platform's recommendation systems and AI tools under a court's scrutiny days before a presidential runoff. Lula's complaint alleged that Meta used biased algorithms and AI restrictions to favour Bolsonaro, and the court's order specifically covers content distribution, search restrictions, post removal and the AI tool's criteria. Meta owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, so the order reaches several channels candidates use to reach voters.
Who it affects
Most directly Lula and Bolsonaro, who meet in the October 25 runoff, and Meta, which now faces a daily fine if it does not comply. Voters in Brazil are affected through what they see on Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp. Lula's party said some of his posts lacked a share button and had reduced reach.
How to use it
This is a news item rather than a tool. For readers who follow platform governance, the practical takeaway is the shape of the order: equal treatment of two candidates, limits on reducing distribution of political content, restricting searches or removing posts unevenly, and identical criteria in Meta's AI tool.
How solid is it
The core claim rests on Folha de S Paulo's reading of internal Meta messages, relayed by Al Jazeera, which did not review the messages itself. No named Meta employee is quoted. Meta disputes the interpretation, saying the conversations concerned only the severity of already public technical issues. The court order and the 500,000 reais daily fine are stated plainly in the report.
Risks and caveats
The source does not say which specific restrictions affected Lula's accounts or what technical causes the messages describe. It does not say whether the complaint's allegation of deliberate favouring of Bolsonaro was upheld by the court, whether Meta will appeal, or whether it has complied. Lula's allegations and his party's account of missing features are claims by one side of a contested election.
“Any suggestion that Meta favors one side is false”
— Meta, in a statement to Reuters