The unanimous decision, issued Tuesday, found that the company had failed to adequately address 17 measures requested by the court to clarify claims that its platforms treated rival presidential campaigns unequally, Anadolu Agency reported.
The case stemmed from a complaint by the coalition supporting President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s reelection bid. It accused Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, of limiting the reach of pro-Lula content while favouring his defeated rival, Flavio Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party.
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The coalition also raised concerns about advertisements allegedly funded from abroad, political ads generated using artificial intelligence and the removal of recommendations for posts supporting Lula.
Reporting judge Marco Aurelio Belizze said Meta’s responses lacked transparency, pointing to submissions in foreign languages, aggregated data and generic explanations that made it difficult to assess the allegations.
Meta rejected claims of political favoritism, describing them as false and unfounded. It argued that third-party studies had failed to account for differences in the campaigns’ digital strategies and repeated video views.
The fine does not bring the case to a close. The court will continue examining whether Meta gave preferential treatment to any candidate, with no deadline set for a final ruling.
