US lawmakers ask Meta to explain alleged Brazil election bias

US Senator Bernie Sanders and 11 other Democratic lawmakers asked Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday to explain alleged unequal treatment of the campaigns of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro on Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, ahead of Brazil’s presidential runoff on Sunday.

What did the lawmakers ask Mark Zuckerberg?

In the letter, the 12 lawmakers express “deep concern” over reports that Meta’s platforms “are restricting or suppressing content associated with Lula’s campaign while amplifying or recommending content linked to Bolsonaro’s campaign”. They write that favouring a candidate, even unintentionally, is “unacceptable”. The lawmakers ask the company to disclose whether it had contacts with Donald Trump’s administration about Brazil’s judiciary, platform regulation, the election or US policy towards Brazil, and, if so, to hand over records of meetings, calls and messages.

What does Brazil’s electoral prosecutor say?

Brazil’s Electoral Prosecutor’s Office said on Wednesday that Meta had failed to comply with four points of an order from the Superior Electoral Court requiring it to treat both candidates equally. The points cited include providing statistics on Meta’s artificial intelligence tool and handling complaints equally, and the prosecutor asked for the stipulated fine to be applied. The decision rests with Judge Marco Aurélio Bellizze, who had warned that the daily penalty could rise to one million reais. Lula has also asked Brazil’s electoral court to disqualify his rival Bolsonaro.

What have the two campaigns alleged?

Lula’s campaign has complained to the United Nations and the Organization of American States about the reduced reach of the president’s profiles and about Meta’s artificial intelligence refusing to generate images supporting Lula while producing them for his rival. Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign has also gone to court, accusing Meta of allowing negative ads against the senator and of permitting AI-made Lula campaign material without the mandatory label. Meta denies any interference and attributes the incidents to technical errors that it says it has corrected.

What happens next in the Brazilian runoff?

Polls show a statistical tie between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro, who meet in the second round on Sunday. The two candidates hold their final debate on Friday, broadcast by TV Globo. The runoff campaign has been closely contested, with Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro trading personal attacks in a Brazil debate. Bellizze has yet to rule on the prosecutor’s request for a fine against Meta.

Frequently asked questions

What do the US lawmakers want from Meta?

US Senator Bernie Sanders and 11 other Democratic lawmakers asked Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg to explain reports that its platforms restricted Lula’s campaign content while amplifying Flávio Bolsonaro’s, and to disclose any contacts with Donald Trump’s administration about Brazil.

What did Brazil’s Electoral Prosecutor’s Office say about Meta?

It said on Wednesday that Meta had failed to comply with four points of a Superior Electoral Court order requiring equal treatment of both candidates, including providing statistics on its artificial intelligence tool, and asked for the stipulated fine.

Who decides whether Meta is fined?

Judge Marco Aurélio Bellizze of the Superior Electoral Court decides, and he had warned that the daily penalty could rise to one million reais.

When is Brazil’s presidential runoff?

The runoff between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro is on Sunday, after a final debate on Friday on TV Globo. Polls show a statistical tie.

With reporting from en.mercopress.com.

Stock image, not from the events described. City Skyline — Joe deSousa / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)