Lula's campaign accuses Meta before UN of electoral bias

The campaign of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has filed a complaint with the United Nations and the Federal Police against the company Meta over alleged unfair treatment in favor of the candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, according to MercoPress. The ruling coalition has asked the Attorney General's Office to investigate whether there was possible illegal financing through improper advantages in the digital distribution of content.

The complaint, filed with the UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression, details interference with the equal conditions between candidates. The irregularities cited include the reduced reach of pro-government profiles on Instagram, the recommendation of rival candidacy channels on WhatsApp and restrictions on artificial intelligence tools. Meta attributed the failures alleged to technical errors.

The legal action comes one week before the October 25 runoff election, in a context of a tight race marked by a statistical tie in the polls. Ahead of the runoff, Lula's representatives asked that the company's internal communications be preserved and requested judicial cooperation from the United States to access records held by the parent company.

The episode exposes the decisive influence that algorithms and digital platforms exert on political contests in the region. The controversy underscores the importance of ensuring transparency on social networks to prevent imbalances in voter formation during a decisive process.