Brazil's electoral court fines Meta $1.3M for noncompliance

· DW

The fine came after President Lula's coalition filed a complaint. The court said there was no evidence of intent to influence the election. Meta said it will defend itself against "false allegations."

Brazil's top electoral court has ordered Meta to pay 7.5 million reais ($1.34 million; €1.22 million) for failing to fully comply with judicial orders during last month's presidential election.

However, 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 rival Flavio Bolsonaro.

Platforms owned by Meta include Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.

Meta told the court last month that it had implemented measures to guarantee equal treatment for both campaigns.

Meta lacked transparency, court says

The Superior Electoral Court (TSE) unanimously ruled on Tuesday 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.

On the other hand, the court's reporting judge Marco Aurelio Belizze wrote in his ruling that there were no preliminary evidence indicating that any intentional actions were taken to influence the election.

"That ​conclusion would require robust evidence, to be produced through the appropriate legal proceedings," he said.

In his victory speech, Lula reiterated that Brazil would 'not accept being anyone’s backyard,' a recurring campaign message defending the country’s sovereignty against US influenceImage: Natacha Pisarenko/AP Photo/picture alliance

According to Bellizze, the fine was based on Meta's overall handling of the court orders, including delays, incomplete disclosures, and challenges in verifying some of the information it provided.

In a statement on Wednesday, Meta strongly denied the court's ruling.

"We will continue to present the facts and defend ourselves against false allegations in the ‌ongoing ​legal proceedings," Meta said in a statement on Wednesday.

Lula vows to rein in social media

Lula defeated Bolsonaro in a tight run-off in 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.