Brazil’s Lula Accuses Meta of Election Interference

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s campaign has accused Meta of interfering in the country’s election after alleging that the technology company restricted the reach and visibility of his social media content.

Lula is seeking a fourth non-consecutive presidential term in the October 25 runoff, where he will face Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro.

In a statement released on Saturday, Lula’s campaign cited several incidents involving Meta-owned platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, which it said affected the president’s online visibility.

According to the campaign, Instagram recently prevented Lula’s profile from promoting posts on the platform’s feed. It also alleged that a post published through his official account experienced a disruption in view counts, limiting its reach.

The campaign further claimed that Lula’s profile and those of other left-wing political figures disappeared from Instagram’s search results shortly before the first round of voting on Sunday, when Flavio Bolsonaro finished ahead of the president.

It said the reported disruptions raised concerns that Meta’s actions could influence the electoral process in favour of Bolsonaro’s candidacy.

“The series of technical issues…raises strong suspicions that Meta’s actions constitute an attempt to interfere in the Brazilian electoral process to the benefit of Flavio Bolsonaro’s candidacy,” the statement added.

Meta’s Brazilian office rejected the allegations, describing them as false and unsupported by evidence.

In an email to AFP, the company said several of the technical problems cited by Lula’s campaign were not confined to Brazil or to specific accounts. It added that it complies with electoral regulations and is committed to ensuring fair conditions for political participants using its platforms.

“Many of the technical issues mentioned did not affect only Brazil or specific accounts,” Meta told AFP. 

“We comply with electoral regulations and are committed to a level playing field regarding the use of our platforms.”

Lula’s campaign has lodged a complaint with Brazil’s electoral court over the alleged restrictions.

Following the first round of voting, the president, who does not use a mobile phone, launched a social media campaign featuring videos of him speaking directly to his online supporters.