The Brazilian electoral court fined Meta 7,5 million reals on Tuesday for unequal treatment between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro during the presidential campaign.
The court stopped short of ruling that the company engaged in a deliberate plot to rig the vote.
Lula’s legal team accused Meta of algorithmic manipulation designed to sabotage their candidate. Lawyer Angelo Ferraro told the court that the owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp acted as a political agent by inflicting serious irregularities.
Meta pushed back against the accusations. Lawyer Patricia Marta Martins argued that the claims of interference were false and unfounded, maintaining that the firm fully complied with judicial requirements.
The company also pointed to technical problems that affected users globally rather than just in Brazil. However, the seven judges concluded that Meta failed to meet deadlines and lacked transparency.
The court found that the tech firm supplied incomplete and generic information to authorities during the dispute. Some of the submitted records were even written in a foreign language.
During the race, the tribunal ordered Meta to enforce fair content distribution between both candidates. Lula ultimately defeated Jair Bolsonaro in the October 25 runoff vote.
| Detail | Figure or Fact |
|---|---|
| Fine Amount | 7.5 million reals (approx. 1.11 million Swiss francs / 1.2 million euros) |
| Election Date | October 25 runoff |
| Court Involved | Superior Electoral Court (TSE) |
| Key Figures | Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Flávio Bolsonaro, Marco Aurélio Bellizze |
Following his election victory, Lula pledged to tighten regulations on social media platforms across Brazil. The country already enforces strict rules holding digital corporations legally accountable for user content.
Meanwhile, the defeated candidate’s camp faces ongoing legal scrutiny. Senator Bolsonaro departed for the United States after declining to accept the election outcome, and he remains under police investigation for alleged money laundering from his base in Miami.
