Meta hit with RM5.3m Brazil election fine following Lula’s algorithmic bias complaint

Brazil’s electoral court has fined Facebook parent Meta 7.5 million reais (RM5.3 million) for failing to comply fully with court orders during an investigation into alleged presidential election bias. — AFP pic

First Published: Wednesday, 11 Nov 2026 12:47 PM MYT

BRASÍLIA, Nov 11 — Brazil’s electoral court ruled yesterday that Meta had to pay a fine of about $1.3 million for failing to comply with court orders after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva alleged the tech giant tipped the scales toward his rival Flavio Bolsonaro during the latest presidential election.

Leftist leader Lula had accused Meta of “algorithmic manipulation” favouring Bolsonaro in the run-up to the October 25 runoff vote, in which he surprisingly prevailed despite coming in second during the first-round ballot.

The Superior Electoral Court (TSE) unanimously ruled to impose a fine of 7.5 million reais (RM5.3 million) on Meta, the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram, finding the company missed deadlines and lacked transparency in its investigation.

However, the court’s reporting judge Marco Aurelio said the judicial body had not found evidence of any “deliberate action to skew the election.”

Meta had denied the accusations but acknowledged that some of Lula’s campaign ads had been mistakenly deactivated due to technical errors.

“We are going to have to regulate them,” Lula said of social media companies after his electoral victory.

After refusing to acknowledge his loss in the runoff, Flavio Bolsonaro fled Brazil to the United States amid an ongoing investigation into him for alleged money laundering. — AFP