Brazil’s latest presidential election has sparked a costly legal battle between politics and Big Tech, with Meta ordered to pay a 1.3-million-dollar fine over allegations of electoral interference involving President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his rival, Flávio Bolsonaro.
The country’s Superior Electoral Court unanimously imposed a penalty of 7.5 million reais on the technology company after finding that it failed to meet court-imposed deadlines and provide sufficient transparency during an investigation into claims of political bias.
Lula had accused Meta, which owns Facebook and WhatsApp, of using its algorithms to give Bolsonaro an unfair advantage ahead of the October 25 presidential runoff, which Lula won despite finishing behind his rival in the first round.
However, the court clarified that its investigation found no evidence that Meta deliberately manipulated its platforms to influence the election outcome.
Meta rejected the allegations, explaining that some campaign advertisements belonging to Lula had been wrongly taken down because of technical errors.
Following his victory, Lula called for stronger regulation of social media companies, arguing that their growing influence over political communication requires closer scrutiny.
Meanwhile, Bolsonaro reportedly left Brazil for the United States after refusing to accept his defeat, as he faces an ongoing investigation over alleged money laundering.
