The investigation, which examined complaints from politicians, social movements, and ordinary citizens, categorized the interference into three primary types: reach suppression, functionality restrictions, and outright bans. Reach suppression accounted for 36.8% of the complaints, described as the most subtle form of interference because it is difficult to prove. This category includes downranking in search results and a sharp drop in post visibility. Notable cases include Lula’s official account, @lulaoficial, which reported anomalous figures where a video reel garnered 783,000 likes but only 679,000 views despite the profile having 16.9 million followers. Influencer Gabriela Priolli also documented a video where the view count plummeted from 12.7 million to 1 million within a three-hour window. Meta acknowledged a “glitch” in video view counting on October 8 but provided no further explanation or remedy.
Functionality restrictions, which made up 32% of the reports, involved accounts that remained active but were partially unusable. These restrictions impacted reposts, comments, and the ability to boost content. One such case involved the @eutocomlula profile, which was prevented from sending messages just one week before the first round of voting. Another verified profile, @0gabrielpereira, was restricted after sharing information about pro-Lula rallies, with the restriction justified by claims of “unoriginal, low-quality content.”
In addition to algorithmic suppression, Meta unilaterally banned or restricted at least 17 profiles that the campaign of right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro had requested be taken down. This action preempted judicial processes, as the company acted on the opposing campaign’s demands without waiting for court orders. The majority of those affected were ordinary citizens, but the list also included dozens of influencers, researchers, and communicators.
Recent moderation decisions have intensified scrutiny on Meta’s practices. Last Wednesday, Meta briefly disabled Lula’s campaign page from running political ads, stating that “some of its activities don’t follow our rules” without specifying which rules were violated. The Workers’ Party lodged an appeal, and the restriction was subsequently lifted. On the same day, Meta removed an Instagram profile associated with the independent news project “Revelando Brasil” after it published a viral video alleging connections between Flávio Bolsonaro and financial scandals. Meta cited community guidelines violations but offered no further details. The profile was restored hours later following public outcry, with Meta issuing a brief apology for the “inconvenience.”
These incidents occur against a backdrop of broader concerns regarding electoral integrity. Right-wing influencers have been promoting Polymarket prediction bets showing Flávio Bolsonaro leading, despite the platform being prohibited in Brazil. The Workers’ Party has also requested an investigation into potential foreign involvement in the campaign. The TSE’s order requires Meta to justify its moderation algorithms and content decisions before the final stages of the election, with the outcome potentially influencing how the platform operates in future Brazilian elections.
