Brazil's Lula Accuses Meta of Election Interference Ahead of October 25 Runoff Against Bolsonaro's Son

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's re-election campaign accused Meta of election interference on October 10, alleging the company blocked and restricted content on Instagram and Facebook ahead of the October 25 presidential runoff. The campaign claimed Meta prevented Lula's profile from promoting Instagram feed posts, interrupted view counts on a post from his official account, and caused profiles of Lula and other leftist leaders to suddenly disappear from Instagram's search function prior to the October 4 first round in which Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, son of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, finished first with 47 percent to Lula's 45 percent. The campaign filed a complaint with Brazil's Superior Electoral Court, which on October 11 ordered Meta to report all measures applied to Lula's accounts and explain anomalies in video metrics within 48 hours. Meta's Brazil office denied the charges, calling them simply false and not supported by the facts, and said many technical issues affected accounts globally, not just Brazil or specific accounts.

The Superior Electoral Court's 48-hour deadline will determine whether Meta faces sanctions or penalties that could influence the final two weeks of campaigning before the runoff. The lack of a court ruling or independent verification by the October 11 reporting deadline leaves the allegations' merit unresolved.

Sources

Yahoo News, Brazil's Lula accuses Meta of election interference, October 11, 2026, yahoo.com The Jakarta Post, Lula accuses Meta of election interference, October 11, 2026, thejakartapost.com Malay Mail, Brazil's Lula accuses Meta of election interference, October 11, 2026, malaymail.com Free Malaysia Today, Brazil's Lula accuses Meta of election interference, October 11, 2026, freemalaysiatoday.com France 24, Brazil's Lula accuses social media giant Meta of election interference amid tight run-off campaign, October 11, 2026, france24.com