President Lula Barges Against Meta Over Alleged Election Interference in Contested Run-off
The campaign of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva accused technology giant Meta of electrial interference on Saturday after his social media content was reportedly blocked on the platform.
The left‑wing leader is contesting a fourth non‑consecutive presidential term in the October 25 runoff, where he will face Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former right‑wing president Jair Bolsonaro.
According to a statement issued by Lula’s team, Meta—parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram—allegedly limited the spread of his posts on the service.
The campaign alleges that in recent days Meta “barred President Lula’s profile from promoting Instagram‑feed content” and that a post from his official account experienced a sharp decline in view counts, thereby reducing its impact.
It further claims that prior to last Sunday’s first ballot—which saw Bolsonaro secure the top spot—the profiles of Lula and other left‑leaning candidates vanished suddenly from Instagram’s search functionality.
“Brazil has been moving toward the right steadily over the past twenty years,” a political analyst remarked.
To view the accompanying video, enable advertising tracking and audience measurement settings.
Manage your preferences.
<img fetchpriority=”high” decoding=”auto” src=”https://s.france24.com/media/display/9d892e40-c1a6-11f1-b146-0f96b136895a/w:1024/p:16×9/EN-20261005-223111-224225-CS.jpg” srcset=”https://s.france24.com/media/display/9d892e40-c1a6-11f1-b146-0f96b136895a/w:388/p:16×9/EN-20261005-223111-224225-CS.jpg 388w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/9d892e40-c1a6-11f1-b146-0f96b136895a/w:720/p:16×9/EN-20261005-223111-224225-CS.jpg 720w,https://s.france24.com/media/display/9d892e40-c1a6-11f1-b146-0f96b136895a/w:1024/p:16×9/EN-20261005-223111-224225-CS.jpg 1024w” sizes=”(max-width: 639px) calc(100vw – 32px), (max-width: 1076px) calc(100vw – 44px), 850px” width=”1024″ height=”576″ alt=”Brazil ‘has moved to the right progressively over the last two decades’, expert says” loading=”eager” class=”a-img “</figure”>
<figcaption class="a-figcaption">
Cover image: © France 24 </figcaption>
</figure>
<p>"The series of technical disruptions ... suggests Meta deliberately obstructed Brazil's electoral process to favor Flavio Bolsonaro's candidacy," the statement added.</p><p>Brazil’s Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) granted Meta a 48‑hour window to detail the actions taken against Lula’s accounts and clarify the reported irregularities.</p><p>Meta’s Brazilian operations refused the allegations, labeling them “simply false” and “unsupported by evidence.”</p><p>“All technical issues cited were not isolated to Brazil or individual accounts alone,” Meta’s corporate response noted via email to AFP.</p><p>"We adhere strictly to electoral regulations and commit to ensuring a level playing field across our platforms."</p><p>Lula’s campaign subsequently lodged a formal complaint with the electoral tribunal concerning the alleged platform restrictions.</p><p>Ahead of the initial voting round, which placed Flavio Bolsonaro atop the list, the campaigns of Lula and other opposition figures had abruptly ceased appearing in Instagram’s search index.</p></p>Note: All media elements (image tags, captions, and reference links) remain untouched per the directive.
Also Read
- Ukraine strikes Yandex data centre in third attack on Russian tech giant
- Hochvogel mountain at risk of major collapse as 400,000 cubic metres of rock threatens to break away
- Trump Announces Mutual Energy Infrastructure Truce Between Russia and Ukraine
- Former Wuhan Mayor Zhou Xianwang Sentenced to 14 Years for Corruption