Lula campaign accuses Meta of election interference

The campaign of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva accused Meta of election interference Saturday, saying his social media content was allegedly restricted on the company's platforms before an October 25 runoff against Senator Flavio Bolsonaro.

Lula's campaign said Meta, the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, prevented Lula's profile from promoting Instagram feed posts and that a post from his official account had an interruption in view counts that affected its reach.

The campaign also said that before last Sunday's first round of voting, the profiles of Lula and other leftist leaders suddenly disappeared from Instagram's search function.

It said the technical issues raised strong suspicions of an attempt to interfere in Brazil's election to benefit Bolsonaro, the son of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro. Lula's campaign has filed a complaint with the electoral court over the alleged blocks.

Meta's Brazil office denied the accusation, calling it false and not supported by the facts. In an email to AFP, Meta said many of the technical issues mentioned did not affect only Brazil or specific accounts. The company said it complies with electoral regulations and is committed to a level playing field on its platforms.

Lula is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term. Bolsonaro finished first in the first round, and Lula has launched a social media push since then that includes videos addressing his online followers.