Left-wing incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is set to face his right-wing rival Flávio Bolsonaro in the second round of voting on Sunday. Lula's campaign has requested the disqualification of Bolsonaro ahead of the final round of the presidential election, citing alleged interference by social media company Meta.
Allegations of Interference
In a petition filed to Brazil's top electoral court on Wednesday, Lula accused Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook, of limiting his campaign's content to favor Bolsonaro's candidacy. In response, Bolsonaro has also filed a petition seeking to disqualify Lula, claiming that the government has been disseminating posts on WhatsApp to promote its agenda.
Meta has denied any unequal treatment of the campaigns. This controversy arises after UN experts expressed concerns about discrepancies in how each campaign could reach voters on Meta's platforms. A report led by the UN's special rapporteur on freedom of expression highlighted several issues, including:
- Temporary interruptions of one candidate's campaign account
- Differences in audience engagement and reach
- Restrictions on Instagram posts related to Lula's campaign
