Brazil court gives Meta and X 24 hours to explain electoral performance

Brazil's Superior Electoral Court ordered Meta and X, the operators of Facebook, Instagram, and X, to provide a technical explanation within 24 hours regarding the use of artificial intelligence, content distribution, broadcasting political advertising, and post deletion, ahead of the presidential election runoff scheduled for Sunday, October 25.

The court announced the decision on Friday, after it was made on Thursday night by rapporteur Ricardo Villas Bôas Cueva, who set a daily fine of 500,000 Brazilian reals, or about $100,000, for each company in the event of unjustified non-compliance.

The decision comes in response to a judicial investigation filed by the political coalition representing Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is seeking re-election against opposition candidate Flávio Bolsonaro in Sunday's runoff. Cueva requested that the two companies explain the criteria for content distribution and potential differences in treatment between the two competing campaigns for the Brazilian presidency.

In the same context, UN experts asked Meta in a letter this week to clarify the alleged unequal treatment that presidential campaigns receive in Brazil. The UN request coincides with growing pressure on platforms ahead of the vote, amid concerns over the impact of AI-generated content and political ads on the integrity of the runoff.

What do these terms mean?

Superior Electoral Court: The highest judicial authority in Brazil responsible for electoral matters, overseeing the integrity of the vote and examining related violations.

Runoff round: A second vote between the candidates with the highest votes in the first round, held when no candidate achieves the required majority.

Judicial rapporteur: A judge or official within the court who investigates a specific complaint and prepares a report before the panel hears the case.

Political advertising: Advertising content promoting a candidate, party, or political stance, subject to special rules in Brazil during election periods.