--- title: "Meta Denies Political Bias in Brazil Elections After Staff Flagged Instagram Restrictions Affecting President Lula's Accounts: Report" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/302168170.md" description: "Meta denies political bias in Brazil's election after reports revealed internal discussions about technical restrictions on President Lula’s Instagram accounts while promoting rival Bolsonaro’s profile. The Brazilian Electoral Court ordered Meta to ensure fair reach for both candidates and prohibited its AI chatbot from favoring either side. This follows complaints from Lula’s camp regarding alleged social media manipulation ahead of the Oct. 25 runoff. Meanwhile, Meta stock closed down 3.72% at $709.32." datetime: "2026-10-17T02:29:51.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/302168170.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/302168170.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/302168170.md) generator: "portal-rs" --- # Meta Denies Political Bias in Brazil Elections After Staff Flagged Instagram Restrictions Affecting President Lula's Accounts: Report **Meta Platforms, Inc.** (META) faces potential renewed scrutiny over its role in Brazil’s presidential election after internal communications reportedly acknowledged restrictions affecting President **Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s Instagram** accounts while recommending challenger **Flávio Bolsonaro’**s profile. ## **Meta Denies Political Interference In Brazil Election** Brazilian newspaper Folha de S.Paulo reported Friday, citing internal messages, that Meta employees discussed technical problems affecting Lula’s Instagram accounts and recommendations promoting Bolsonaro’s profile and **WhatsApp** channel, Reuters reported. The reported restrictions included posts appearing without share buttons, reduced reach, and **Instagram Stories** that prevented users from reacting or sharing content. Some videos also reportedly appeared without audio or played at accelerated speeds. Meta said the technical issues were already public, arguing that the internal discussions concerned their severity rather than political interference. In a statement, the tech giant said "any suggestion" the company favors one side is false. Meta did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comment. **Read Also: Meta’s Costs Surged in the Second Quarter. Here’s the Bar for Oct. 21 Earnings** ## **Brazil’s Electoral Court Orders Meta to Ensure Fair Reach** Lula’s camp said earlier this week it would file a complaint with the Organization of American States, accusing Meta of manipulating social media during the election. On Thursday, a justice at Brazil’s top electoral court ordered Meta not to unjustifiably restrict the reach of political content related to either candidate through the end of the runoff campaign. The ruling also required **Meta AI**, the company’s artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, not to favor either candidate when generating election-related content. ## **Lula And Bolsonaro Head for Presidential Runoff** Lula and Bolsonaro are scheduled to face off in an Oct. 25 runoff after the senator performed better than expected in the first round earlier this month. **Price Action:** Meta closed at $709.32 on Friday, down 3.72%. In after-hours trading, the stock slipped 0.56% to $705.32, according to Benzinga Pro. According to **Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings**, Meta ranks in the 78th percentile for Quality, with positive price trends over the short, medium and long term. ***Disclaimer:*** *This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.* **Read Also: Mark Zuckerberg Opens Meta's Massive Muse Spark AI Model, Says It Runs Great on Apple's New Mac Studios Thanks to John Ternus** Image via Shutterstock ### Related Stocks - [META.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/META.US.md) - [FBL.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/FBL.US.md) - [FBX.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/FBX.US.md) - [FBY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/FBY.US.md) - [FBYY.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/FBYY.US.md) - [MEIB.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/MEIB.US.md) - [METD.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/METD.US.md) - [METG.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/METG.US.md) - [METQ.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/METQ.US.md) - [METU.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/METU.US.md) - [METW.US](https://longbridge.com/en/quote/METW.US.md) ## Related News & Research - [Brazil’s Lula wins electoral court challenge against Meta for alleged pro-Bolsonaro algorithm bias](https://longbridge.com/en/news/302053990.md) - [Meta launches the biggest and best AI models it has ever built](https://longbridge.com/en/news/301617879.md) - [Meta’s new terms may allow it to train AI on news sites for free](https://longbridge.com/en/news/302119557.md) - [Is Meta Platforms Stock Heading for $1,000?](https://longbridge.com/en/news/301739490.md) - [Meta removes language that may have allowed it to scrape news sites](https://longbridge.com/en/news/302185503.md) --- > **Disclaimer: This article is for reference only and does not constitute any investment advice.**