Brazil Gives WhatsApp 3 Hours to Shut Pro-Lula Channel
BRAZIL · COURTS
Key Facts
- —What happened Brazil’s electoral court told WhatsApp to suspend a pro-Lula channel.
- —Deadline WhatsApp got three hours to comply, SBT News reported on Sunday.
- —The channel “Exército do Lula,” run by deputy André Janones, had 2.09 million followers.
- —US company Meta must keep the channel’s records for at least one year.
- —Prediction markets Kalshi gives Flávio Bolsonaro 87% and Lula 13% (11 October, 11:07 a.m. ET). Polymarket puts Flávio Bolsonaro’s chance of winning at 88% and Kalshi at 87% (Lula: 13% and 13%), as of 11 October, 1:20 pm ET; prices are bets, not polls.
Brazil’s top electoral judge has ordered a US-owned messaging app to switch off a major runoff campaign channel.
Kassio Nunes Marques, president of Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court (TSE), gave WhatsApp three hours to suspend the pro-Lula channel “Exército do Lula.” SBT News reported the injunction on Sunday, 11 October, at 3:46 p.m. Brasília time.
WhatsApp belongs to Meta Platforms, the California company listed on the Nasdaq. The order puts a US platform at the centre of a fight over disinformation two weeks before the 25 October runoff.
What the Court Ordered
The channel is run by federal deputy André Janones, a Lula ally from the small Avante party in Minas Gerais. The suspension lasts until the runoff result is certified, SBT News reported.
The decision also sets a fine for non-compliance. It orders Meta to preserve the channel’s records and messages for at least one year.
According to the documents cited in the ruling, the channel had about 55,000 followers on the morning of 5 October. By 7 October it reached 2,090,796; SBT News now puts it above 3.2 million.
Why the Judge Acted
Nunes Marques wrote that the channel worked as a “command centre” for mass sharing of claims he called “knowingly untrue.” He added that digital mobilisation itself “is lawful and is not the subject of this decision.”
The ruling cites instructions to get around WhatsApp’s safeguards, such as copying links by hand. It also cites deleted messages meant to avoid tracing, which made removing posts one by one ineffective.
SBT News did not include any response from Janones or WhatsApp.
Who Asked for It
The request came from Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign. He is a senator for the conservative Liberal Party (PL) and son of former president Jair Bolsonaro.
He faces President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the left-wing Workers’ Party.
On Saturday, 10 October, the TSE said Flávio’s side had filed an abuse case against Lula, running mate Geraldo Alckmin and Janones. The court’s inspector-general, Ricardo Villas Bôas Cueva, admitted the case but asked for more evidence.
The filing seeks to strip Lula and Alckmin of their registration and suspend the channel and the profile @janones.apoio. It alleges Janones coordinated disinformation against Flávio and used public campaign funds to boost negative ads.
The TSE stressed that admitting the case does not mean the allegations are accepted as true. Cueva gave Flávio 72 hours for more detail and the defendants five days to answer.
Nunes Marques is a Supreme Court justice appointed by Jair Bolsonaro in 2020. He now presides over the electoral court.
What It Means for You
For US investors in Meta, Brazil is again testing how far courts can direct a US platform during an election. The same court gave Meta 48 hours to explain Lula’s reach on its networks, SBT News reported.
For holders of Brazilian assets, the runoff shapes policy from January 2027. Court fights over online campaigning add noise to a race that betting markets already favour Flávio to win.
What Prediction Markets Say
Prediction markets · who wins the runoff
Implied chance of winning Brazil’s presidency on 25 October, from traders’ prices.
Polymarket
Flávio Bolsonaro 87.9% · Lula 12.5% (US$180 million traded)
Kalshi (regulated in the US by the CFTC)
Flávio Bolsonaro 87% · Lula 13%
As of 11 October, 1:20 pm ET (18:20 Lisbon), updated every 20 minutes. Prices are bets, not polls, and can move fast.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
On Kalshi, which US regulators at the CFTC oversee, bets gave Flávio 87% and Lula 13% at 11:07 a.m. ET on Sunday. On Polymarket, with about US$180 million traded on the election, Lula stood at 12.5% at 12:44 p.m. ET.
Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
What Is Not Known
It is not known whether WhatsApp had complied by Sunday evening. The amount of the fine has not been reported.
The full text of the decision was not yet on the TSE website when this article was written. It is also unclear whether Janones will appeal.
What Comes Next
The electoral abuse case continues on its own track, with deadlines running this week. Monday, 12 October, is a national holiday in Brazil.
Brazilians choose between Flávio Bolsonaro and Lula on Sunday, 25 October. The order runs until that result is certified.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Brazil’s electoral court order?
It ordered WhatsApp to suspend the pro-Lula channel “Exército do Lula” within three hours. Meta must also keep the channel’s records for at least one year.
Who runs the channel?
Federal deputy André Janones of the Avante party, an ally of President Lula, created and runs it. It had 2.09 million followers by 7 October, according to the ruling.
Why was the channel suspended?
Justice Nunes Marques found it coordinated mass sharing of claims he called knowingly untrue. He said digital mobilisation itself is lawful.
When is Brazil’s presidential runoff?
The runoff between Flávio Bolsonaro and Lula is on Sunday, 25 October. The suspension lasts until the result is certified.
Sources: Superior Electoral Court (TSE), 10 October 2026; SBT News, 11 October 2026; Metrópoles; SBT News on Meta (all accessed 11 October 2026).
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error