Meta Employees Admitted to Discussing Lula's Instagram Glitches

A Brazilian daily newspaper says employees at Meta admitted in private messages that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's Instagram accounts suffered during the country's election cycle. These internal notes reportedly recommended the profile of his opponent, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, alongside a linked WhatsApp channel. Folha de S Paulo shared these details on Friday after reviewing the communications itself.

Meta pushed back against this narrative when talking to Reuters. The tech giant stated that the technical problems mentioned in the report were already public knowledge. They insisted the conversations only touched on how bad those issues got, not any attempt at political meddling. "Any suggestion that Meta favors one side is false," a company representative added.

The story arrives just as pressure mounts on the social media platform ahead of the runoff election set for October 25. Lula, the left-wing incumbent, now faces Bolsonaro in a second round after the senator pulled off a stronger-than-expected showing in the first vote earlier this month. A court ruling issued Thursday demanded Meta stop immediately and treat both candidates fairly before that big day arrives.

The order came from Justice Marco Aurelio Bellizze of Brazil's highest electoral court. Lula had filed a complaint accusing the company of using biased algorithms and AI tools to boost Bolsonaro while holding back his rival. The judge ruled that Meta cannot limit how political content spreads, block searches, or delete posts in a way that tips the scales between the two men. His verdict also requires the artificial intelligence system to apply identical rules to both campaigns.

Justice Bellizze made it clear there would be a price for ignoring these orders. If Meta fails to comply, he said the company must pay a fine of 500,000 reais, that is about $98,700, every single day. Lula's party claims some of his posts showed up without the share button and had reduced reach. Options for reactions, sharing, audio features, or accelerated speed were reportedly missing too.

It feels like a tightrope walk for a company that owns Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp right in the middle of a fierce presidential fight. The stakes are high for communities relying on these tools to follow the news during such a critical vote.