Brazil electoral court fines Meta, sees no deliberate election bias
Brazil's top electoral court has ordered Meta to pay 7.5 million reais ($1.34 million) for failing to fully comply with judicial orders during last month's presidential election.
The judicial body has so far found no evidence that Meta deliberately acted to influence the election outcome. Ahead of the runoff vote on October 25, leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's coalition filed a complaint, accusing Meta of "algorithmic manipulation" favoring his far-right candidate Flavio Bolsonaro.
Court finds noncompliance
The Superior Electoral Court (TSE) unanimously ruled to impose the 7.5 million reais fine on the US tech giant. Meta missed deadlines and lacked transparency in its investigation, the court said.
That conclusion would require robust evidence, to be produced through the appropriate legal proceedings.
Lula vows regulation
Lula defeated Bolsonaro in a tight run-off on October 25 with him winning 51.7% of the vote against Bolsonaro's 48.2%. In his victory speech, Lula urged more regulation of big tech platforms after allegations that Meta interfered in the race.
"We had to overcome foreign interference in the election, coming from outside through digital platforms that we will have to regulate," he said. Meta strongly denied the court's ruling, stating it will continue to present facts and defend itself against "false allegations" in ongoing legal proceedings.
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