Lula's campaign accuses Meta of election interference before Brazil runoff

Campaign alleges reduced reach

Lula's campaign team said on Saturday that Meta, the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, had interfered in the election by restricting content from his profile. The statement says Meta prevented the president's account from promoting feed posts on Instagram in recent days. A post on his official account reportedly suffered an interruption in its view count, which affected its reach. The campaign also said that before the first round on 4 October, the accounts of Lula and other left-wing leaders suddenly disappeared from Instagram's search function. It added that posts by Flávio Bolsonaro receive more interactions despite having fewer followers. The campaign describes three separate episodes: the blocked feed promotion, the interrupted view count and the disappearance from search.

Meta denies the claims

The Brazilian office of Meta told AFP by email that the allegations are without basis. The company attributed the episodes to technical problems and said many of the problems cited did not affect only Brazil or specific accounts. In the same email, the company rejected the campaign's accusations directly.

The allegations are simply false and find no support in the facts.

Meta also said it complies with electoral rules and wants fair competitive conditions for everyone using its platforms.

We comply with electoral rules and are committed to ensuring fair competitive conditions for everyone using our platforms.

Electoral court request

The Superior Electoral Court (TSE) asked Meta to clarify within 48 hours whether it reduced the distribution of the posts. The court also asked the company to explain the anomalies the campaign reported. Lula's campaign has filed a complaint with the electoral court over the alleged blocking of its social media content. The campaign's statement argues that the succession of unexplained technical problems raises strong suspicions that Meta is trying to interfere in the Brazilian electoral process in favour of Bolsonaro's candidacy. After the first round, Lula stepped up his social media effort, publishing several videos addressed to online supporters.

Runoff backdrop

Flávio Bolsonaro finished first in the first round with 47% of the vote, ahead of Lula with 45%, although polls had shown Lula as the favourite. Lula is seeking a fourth, non-consecutive term. The runoff is set for 25 October, when he faces Flávio Bolsonaro, a senator and son of former president Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022). The complaint came a week after the first round.

Lula has previously accused US President Donald Trump of attempting to interfere in the election in favour of Bolsonaro. His government is assessing whether large technology companies could act as a channel for such interference. Eden Valadares, communication secretary of Lula's Workers' Party, admitted to AFP that the party has no proof of a concrete link.

We have no evidence of this concrete and formal link.

Valadares recalled that when Trump tried to interfere in decisions of the Brazilian Supreme Court, he mentioned the interests of the so-called big tech companies. He said this constitutes more than proof of that shared interest.

What remains open

Meta has to answer the TSE's questions within 48 hours of the request, and the campaign's complaint is pending before the electoral court. Meta's position is that the problems were technical and not specific to Brazil. It is not yet known whether the court will find any reduction in the reach of Lula's posts. The runoff on 25 October will decide between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro.