Brazil's electoral court fines Meta 7.5 million reais over unequal treatment of Lula and Bolsonaro

Court ruling and fine

Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE) ordered Meta to pay a fine of 7.5 million reais, roughly $1.3 million, after finding that the company had failed to comply with court orders during the presidential election. The seven judges voted unanimously, 7-0, on Tuesday, 10 November 2026. The court said Meta missed deadlines and lacked transparency, supplying information that was incomplete, generic or in another language. The TSE had earlier instructed Meta to take steps guaranteeing equal distribution of content to both candidates. The case began with a complaint from the re-election campaign of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, which accused the company of favouring Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in the second round.

What the court did and did not find

Reports differ on how far the finding went. One account says judge Nauê Bernardo considered the error not minor and held that it had influenced the elections in a demonstrable way. The rapporteur, Marco Aurélio Bellizze, said the proceedings did not establish a deliberate action to unbalance the race. Lula's campaign had accused Meta of algorithmic manipulation, saying the company restricted pro-Lula campaign content, and campaign lawyer Angelo Ferraro told the court that Meta had acted as a political agent and committed serious irregularities. Meta's lawyer, Patrícia Marta Martins, argued the interference claims were false and unfounded and said the court's orders had been fully complied with.

Platform incidents before the vote

The court examined an Instagram block that stopped ad placements for Lula content for nearly 24 hours between 9 and 10 October. The company attributed the block to a global fault. The court also examined the WhatsApp AI assistant, which refused to generate an electoral image featuring Lula's name and the number 13, his party's ballot code. The same assistant allowed a similar request for Flávio Bolsonaro and the number 22.

Runoff and aftermath

Lula won the runoff on 25 October, defeating Flávio Bolsonaro in a result that was a surprise. The campaign had also asked for the annulment of Flávio Bolsonaro's candidacy and that of his running mate, Gaspar, accusing them of abuse of power. Since winning, Lula has promised to deepen social media regulation, building on a strict legal framework already approved under his government that holds technology companies liable for content posted by users. Flávio Bolsonaro has not accepted the defeat and, according to reporting, left Brazil for the United States, where police are investigating him for alleged money laundering. From Miami he has reportedly proclaimed himself the true leader of Brazil.