BRAZIL COURT ORDERS META 24 HOURS TO PROVE AI NEUTRALITY OVER LOOMING PRESIDENTIAL RUNOFF

Mon 19 October 2026:

A Brazilian court gave US tech company Meta 24 hours to prove that its artificial intelligence systems do not favor either candidate ahead of next Sunday’s presidential runoff, local media reported.

The Superior Electoral Court order, signed by magistrate Marco Aurelio Bellizze Oliveira, covers Meta’s algorithmic systems managing social media platforms Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, reported Brazilian outlet Universo Online.

The company must prove that it is not limiting the distribution of political content after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s Lula’s campaign alleged that it suppressed material favorable to the incumbent while permitting the spread of hostile AI-generated posts.

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“These inconsistencies in metrics demand explanations and immediate correction,” said Michel Bertoni, a lawyer representing Lula’s campaign.

Bertoni argued that when a major digital platform restricts the circulation of political content unevenly, it directly compromises electoral regularity and interferes with national sovereignty.

The measure follows reporting by Brazilian daily Folha de S.Paulo, which cited internal communications indicating that Meta employees acknowledged restrictions affecting Lula’s accounts while algorithms recommended the profile and WhatsApp channel of challenger Flavio Bolsonaro.

Meta denied giving preferential treatment to any candidate ahead of the Oct. 25 runoff vote, maintaining that its rules apply equally to all political figures and that internal discussions focused on the severity of public technical issues rather than political bias.

Lula’s accounts were restricted in Brazil election, Meta employees say

Meta staff have conceded in internal messages that Instagram accounts belonging to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva suffered setbacks from platform restrictions during the election, according to media reports.

The communications, detailed on Friday by the Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, further noted that the platform had suggested the profile of Lula’s opponent, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, along with his WhatsApp channel. The Sao Paulo daily based its account on messages it reviewed.

Meta told the Reuters news agency that the technical issues cited in the report were already public and the conversations it referenced related solely to the severity of the issues, not political interference.

“Any suggestion that Meta favors one side is false,” it added in a statement.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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