Brazil Fines Meta $1.3 Million Over Election Noncompliance
Brazil's Superior Electoral Court fined Meta 7.5 million reais for failing to comply with judicial orders during the October presidential runoff.
The Superior Electoral Court of Brazil unanimously fined Meta 7.5 million reais, approximately US$1.3 million, for failing to comply with judicial orders during the October 25 presidential runoff. The penalty follows a lawsuit filed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's coalition, which accused the company of using biased algorithms and AI restrictions to favor rival Flávio Bolsonaro by suppressing Lula's search visibility and campaign posters.
The court found that Meta missed deadlines, lacked transparency, and provided incomplete disclosures between October 17 and October 25. However, reporting judge Marco Aurelio Bellizze stated there was no preliminary evidence of a deliberate action to skew the election, noting that some ad deactivations resulted from technical errors. Meta denied all allegations of political bias, attributing platform issues to global technical glitches and anti-fraud measures.
Despite the alleged digital interference, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the presidency, aided by a WhatsApp-based digital army that mobilized over 10 million voters. Following his victory, Lula called for the regulation of digital platforms to prevent foreign interference. Meanwhile, the Superior Electoral Court ruled that tech companies' immunity from liability for third-party content is unconstitutional. In a separate development, Flávio Bolsonaro has fled to the United States amid a money laundering investigation.
