Brazil electoral prosecutors seek to fine Meta over alleged breach of candidate equality orders

By Maryam Ashalem de Andres

ISTANBUL (AA) - Brazil’s Electoral Prosecutor’s Office has sought to fine Meta over alleged non-compliance with court orders requiring equal treatment online of presidential candidates, the news website UOL reported Thursday.

The office said Meta failed to provide all required information on electoral content, political advertisements and measures to ensure equal treatment online of the two runoff campaigns.

It also raised concerns about the company's artificial intelligence tools, including a translation feature that allegedly changed the meaning of comments about a candidate.

Incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s campaign cited the phrase “Flavio futuro presidiario,” meaning “Flavio, future prisoner,” which was translated as “Flavio future president,” according to UOL, referring to Lula's rival, Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

The case follows a complaint filed by Lula's campaign on Oct. 19 accusing Meta of violating court orders and favoring Bolsonaro's campaign, the Brazilian newspaper O Globo reported.

The campaign alleged that content published by Lula's coalition and its supporters faced restrictions while material supporting Bolsonaro received more favorable treatment.

The Superior Electoral Court (TSE) had ordered Meta to ensure equal treatment of political content across its platforms.

The office acknowledged that Meta had lifted restrictions on Lula's campaign account and suspended some unauthorized political ads.

However, prosecutors said other submissions were incomplete or insufficient to demonstrate full compliance.

The TSE will decide whether to impose a fine. Meta could face penalties of up to one million reais ($198,000) per day for non-compliance, according to UOL.

The case has renewed scrutiny of social media platforms' role in Brazil's presidential runoff and their responsibility to ensure that candidates receive equal treatment online.

The runoff is scheduled for Oct. 25, following the first round on Oct. 4, when Bolsonaro received 47.3% of valid votes, according to official results. Lula secured 45.2%.

Mariam Ashalem De Andres