Lula campaign accuses Meta of election interference after social media content blocked

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's re-election campaign on Saturday (Oct 11) accused Meta of interfering in election, alleging that his content was blocked on the company's platforms. Lula is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term in the October 25 runoff. His opponent is Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro. Flavio Bolsonaro finished first in last Sunday's opening round.

In a statement, the campaign said platforms owned by Meta, which also runs Facebook and WhatsApp alongside Instagram, had restricted the reach of Lula's content. It said that in recent days Meta stopped his profile from promoting Instagram feed posts, and that view counts on one post from his official account were interrupted, limiting its reach.

The campaign further claimed that before the first round, the profiles of Lula and other leftist leaders suddenly vanished from Instagram's search function. The statement said the series of technical problems raised strong suspicions that Meta was attempting to influence the electoral process in favour of Flavio Bolsonaro's candidacy.

Meta's Brazil office rejected the accusations, calling them "simply false" and unsupported by facts. In an email to news agency AFP, the company said many of the technical issues cited were not limited to Brazil or to particular accounts. It added that it complies with electoral regulations and is committed to a level playing field on its platforms.

Lula's campaign has filed a complaint with the electoral court over the alleged restrictions. After the first round, Lula, who does not use a mobile phone, launched a social media push that includes videos in which he addresses his online followers directly.