BRAZIL · ELECTIONS
Brazil’s top electoral court fined Meta R$7.5 million (about US$1.3 million) on Tuesday 10 November 2026 for failing to follow its orders during the 25 October presidential runoff, the second-round vote. The Superior Electoral Court, known as the TSE, ruled that the owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp missed deadlines and gave incomplete information while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva faced his conservative challenger, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro.
For US readers, the case shows a US platform being penalised by a court in Latin America’s largest country over how it answered election orders. The sum covers nine days of penalties, and the judge who handled the case also called for audits of platform algorithms.
Key Facts
- What Brazil’s top electoral court fined Meta R$7.5 million (about US$1.3 million) on Tuesday 10 November.
- Why Meta missed deadlines and sent incomplete data on orders to treat both runoff campaigns equally.
- Ruling TSE justice Marco Aurélio Bellizze, who handled the case, found no proof that Meta deliberately favoured a candidate.
- Meta The owner of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp denies political bias and blames technical failures.
- Next Whether Meta will appeal or pay is not known.
- Power Index Brazil ranks 1st of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 74.2 points (November 2026 edition).
What the Court Decided
The TSE’s full bench voted unanimously on the night of Tuesday 10 November to follow Marco Aurélio Bellizze, the TSE justice assigned to the case. He set the fine as nine days of penalties: three days at R$500,000 (about US$90,000) from 17 to 19 October and six days at R$1 million (about US$179,000) from 20 to 25 October, the day of the runoff.
The court’s mid-October orders told Meta to treat the Lula and Bolsonaro campaigns equally on its platforms. Lula’s campaign had complained that its posts reached fewer people and that its paid ads were restricted.
What Judge Bellizze Found
Bellizze said Meta delivered information after the court’s deadlines and in pieces, some of it in a foreign language and in technical terms. That made it hard for the court to check whether the orders were being followed.
He also said the case did not prove, at this stage, that Meta acted on purpose to tilt the race towards Bolsonaro. Meta denies any political bias and blames technical failures.
Why It Matters
Ângelo Ferraro, a lawyer for Lula’s campaign, told the court that Meta stopped being a platform and became a political actor that, in his words, apparently chose a side. Bellizze said platforms hold power over political information through algorithms that are not transparent, and called for audits and oversight.
No official economic figure bears directly on the ruling. The court’s message is that a platform must answer election orders on time and in full.
What Is Not Known
The reports do not say whether Meta will appeal, and they give no deadline for payment. Meta also argued that the case lost its purpose once the election was over, according to Itatiaia, a Brazilian radio station.
More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times. Earlier coverage: Brazil Court Orders Meta to Remove 14 Posts and Leaked Meta Files Show Lula Glitches Persist.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much was Meta fined in Brazil?
The TSE fined Meta R$7.5 million, about US$1.3 million at 5.58 reais per US dollar on 10 November. It is nine days of penalties for ignoring the court’s orders.
Why was Meta fined?
The court said Meta missed deadlines, sent incomplete data and was not transparent about orders to treat the Lula and Bolsonaro campaigns equally. It also said Meta’s data came in pieces and partly in a foreign language.
Did the court find that Meta favoured a candidate?
No. Judge Bellizze said there was no proof at this stage that Meta acted on purpose to favour Flávio Bolsonaro, and Meta denies any bias.
Sources: Superior Electoral Court (TSE), plenary session of 10 November 2026; reports of the ruling by Rádio Itatiaia, a Brazilian radio station, 10 November 2026, Brasil 247, a Brazilian news site, 10–11 November 2026 and SBT News, the news arm of broadcaster SBT, 11 November 2026; The Rio Times market data, USD/BRL 5.58, 10 November 2026.
In depth
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. The Rio Times also runs Ask Rio Times, which answers from 100,000+ of our own articles, the daily Latin America Power Map, and prediction-market odds on elections and markets.. How we use AI · Report an error
Brazil runoff, Sunday, October 25: Brazil runoff: date, poll closing times and when results start. Latest: Brazil runoff polls, Flávio 51%, Lula 49%.