Brazil fines Meta over 'manipulation' in presidential election
What's the story
Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE) has slapped a fine of 7.5 million reais ($1.3 million) on Meta, the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram. The ruling comes after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva accused the tech giant of "algorithmic manipulation" in favor of his rival Flavio Bolsonaro during the recent presidential election. Lula had claimed that Meta's actions tilted the scales in favor of Bolsonaro ahead of the October 25 runoff vote.
Court findings
No evidence found for deliberate action: Judge
The TSE unanimously ruled against Meta, citing its failure to meet deadlines and lack of transparency in the investigation.
However, the court's reporting judge Marco Aurelio clarified that no evidence was found to suggest any "deliberate action to skew the election."
Company statement
Meta denied wrongdoing
In response to the allegations, Meta denied any wrongdoing but admitted that some of Lula's campaign ads were inadvertently deactivated due to technical errors.
"We are going to have to regulate them," Lula said of social media companies after his electoral victory.