Brazil’s Lula accuses Meta of election interference
The leftist leader's campaign reported instances where Meta-owned platforms allegedly restricted the distribution of his content.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has accused tech giant Meta of election interference, alleging that his social media content was blocked on Meta's platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram. Lula, who is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term in the October 25 runoff election, claims that Meta prevented his profile from promoting Instagram feed posts and caused interruptions in the view counts of his official account.
Additionally, Lula's campaign stated that his profiles suddenly disappeared from Instagram's search function before the first round of voting, where Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, finished first. The Superior Electoral Court of Brazil has given Meta 48 hours to clarify the alleged interference and explain the irregularities reported.
Meta has denied the charges, stating that the technical issues mentioned did not affect only Brazil or specific accounts and that the company complies with electoral regulations. Lula's campaign has filed a complaint with the electoral court over the alleged social media blocks.
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- Brazil’s Lula accuses Meta of election interference freemalaysiatoday.com
