Brazil’s electoral prosecutors seek to fine Meta — Anadolu Agency
Brazil’s electoral prosecutors have asked the Superior Electoral Court to fine Meta for allegedly failing to comply with orders on equal treatment of presidential candidates online. Anadolu Agency reports, citing Brazilian outlet UOL.
Prosecutors’ claims
According to the prosecutors, the company did not provide all the requested information concerning election content, political advertising and measures to ensure equal treatment of the two campaigns ahead of the second round. The Superior Electoral Court had previously ordered Meta to ensure an identical approach to political content on its platforms.
Prosecutors also expressed concern over the operation of Meta’s artificial intelligence tools. The campaign of incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva complained about a translation feature which, it claims, changed the meaning of a comment about Lula’s opponent, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. The Portuguese phrase “Flavio futuro presidiario,” meaning “Flavio, future prisoner,” was allegedly translated by the system as “Flavio future president.”
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Possible sanctions
Lula’s campaign filed a complaint with the court on October 19, accusing Meta of violating court requirements and assisting Bolsonaro’s campaign. It claims that content from Lula’s coalition and its supporters faced restrictions, while materials supporting Bolsonaro received more favorable treatment.
Prosecutors acknowledged that Meta lifted restrictions on Lula’s campaign account and suspended some unauthorized political advertising. At the same time, other materials submitted by the company were, in the prosecutors’ assessment, incomplete or insufficient to confirm full compliance with the requirements. The court must decide on a fine that may amount to up to 1 million reais, or about $198,000, per day.
The second round of Brazil’s presidential election is scheduled for October 25. In the first round on October 4, Bolsonaro received 47.3% of valid votes, while Lula received 45.2%.
