In the run-up to Sunday’s election, the leftist president of Brazil and independent watchdog groups accused Meta and its social media platforms of giving the leader’s right-wing rival favorable treatment.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and groups monitoring social media charged that search results omitted progressive activists, that videos critical of his right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro were taken down without explanation and that posts favoring Mr. Lula reached fewer people.
Mr. Lula’s campaign, which was trying shore up his position before the runoff against Mr. Bolsonaro, filed a complaint with the nation’s electoral court on Oct. 10, demanding fair treatment online.
“The scenario is,” the complaint said, “that of a platform illegally practicing algorithmic selectivity, in the midst of a fierce presidential contest.’’
Meta has firmly rejected claims of political bias, asserting firmly in a response to the court that it “does not operate its systems to harm or favor candidacies.”
But in Brazil, where social media and disinformation have played a central role in recent elections, fears that online debate could again sway a narrow presidential race have touched a nerve.
