Tech Firms Find No Breach in Lula Channel
BRAZIL · ELECTIONS
Published Friday, 23 October, 8:38 p.m. ET · Source: reports filed with Brazil’s electoral court (TSE), as reported by Brasil de Fato, Brasil 247 and Agenda do Poder
Key Facts
- What happened On Friday 23 October, Meta, X and Google told Brazil’s electoral court they found no rule-breaking in a pro-Lula WhatsApp channel.
- Meta Its finding is preliminary, and it asked for five more days to review material from Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign.
- X It reviewed 58 hashtags and said bots and fake accounts did not drive the activity.
- Google It found no automated traffic, cyber attack or bot network in its search data.
- Power Index Brazil ranks 1st of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 75.0 points (October 2026 edition).
- Prediction markets Polymarket gives Flávio Bolsonaro a 77.0% chance of winning the 25 October runoff and Lula 23.0% (8:33 p.m. ET, 23 October). Polymarket puts Flávio Bolsonaro’s chance of winning at 77% and Kalshi at 76% (Lula: 23% and 25%), as of 23 October, 8:40 pm ET; prices are bets, not polls.
- Still open It is not known whether the court will grant Meta’s request for five more days.
Runoff · Sunday, 25 October
Brazil Runoff 2026: Lula vs Flávio
Date, polls, debates, odds and how the runoff works, updated every day.
Read our Brazil election 2026 runoff guide →
Brazil election 2026 · Brazil election polls · Who will win: Brazil election odds · Brazil runoff date and results start · Brazil election results · Brazil election poll data (CSV) · All election stories
Meta, X and Google told Brazil’s electoral court on Friday 23 October that they found no rule-breaking in “Exército do Lula” (Lula’s Army), a WhatsApp channel backing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The reports came two days before the Brazil election 2026 runoff, and Meta called its finding preliminary.
The channel is run by André Janones, a federal deputy from Minas Gerais state, and reached 10 million members on Friday. The court’s president, Kassio Nunes Marques, demanded the reports after Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, Lula’s runoff rival, asked the court to check Meta’s handling of the channel.
What Meta Told the Court
Meta said its analysis found no sign of “coordinated inauthentic behaviour”, the term for networks of fake or hidden accounts pushing a message. It called the conclusion preliminary because other posts still need checking, Brasil de Fato reported.
Meta said the court gave it only 24 hours, and that other posts across Instagram, Facebook, Threads and WhatsApp still need checking. Its full answer will come later.
Why Meta Wants Five More Days
Meta said it received material from Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign on Friday that it still has to review. It asked for five more days to deliver a full answer, according to Brasil 247.
Nunes Marques had set the 24-hour deadline a day earlier. The coverage we reviewed did not say whether he will grant the extension.
What Google and X Reported
Google said it detected no automated traffic, cyber attack or bot network, and no breach of its search policies, which it said points to real users. It added that a sudden rise in searches is normal around big news and does not alone show manipulation.
X studied 58 hashtags with about 8.2 million posts from roughly 476,000 accounts, Agenda do Poder reported. It said bots and fake accounts did not drive the activity.
X also said it found some inauthentic behaviour and suspended 12,454 accounts. The reports as published do not say which side those accounts supported.
Why the Court Is Watching the Channel
Nunes Marques presides over the court that runs Brazil’s elections and judges campaign disputes. Our earlier report covers his 24-hour order to Meta.
Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign had asked the court to suspend the channel. The companies’ reports are their own findings, and the court has not yet ruled on them.
What It Means for US Readers
All three companies are US firms, and a Brazilian court is now testing how they police political mobilisation days before a national vote. Their answers show how the platforms describe their own role in a political campaign.
For investors, these are preliminary company statements, not a court finding. The runoff is on Sunday, so the court’s next step on the channel will be closely watched.
What Prediction Markets Say
On Polymarket, an online prediction market, bettors give Flávio Bolsonaro a 77.0% chance of winning the 25 October runoff and Lula 23.0% (8:33 p.m. ET, 23 October). The “Brazil Presidential Election” market has drawn about US$193.4 million in total bets, and the full Brazil election odds page tracks the rest.
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.
Prediction markets · who wins the runoff
Implied chance of winning Brazil’s presidency on 25 October, from traders’ prices.
Polymarket
Flávio Bolsonaro 77% · Lula 23% (US$193 million traded)
Kalshi (regulated in the US by the CFTC)
Flávio Bolsonaro 76% · Lula 25%
As of 23 October, 8:40 pm ET (01:40 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.
What Is Not Known
Meta’s full report is still pending, and it is not known whether Nunes Marques will grant the five extra days. It is also not known whether X’s full filing will be made public.
No court ruling on the channel had been reported when we checked. We have not seen the filings themselves, so this report rests on three Brazilian news accounts.
More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Meta, X and Google tell Brazil’s electoral court?
They said on Friday 23 October that they found no rule-breaking in the pro-Lula WhatsApp channel “Exército do Lula”. Meta called its finding preliminary.
What is the “Exército do Lula” channel?
It is a WhatsApp channel backing President Lula, run by federal deputy André Janones. It reached 10 million members on Friday 23 October.
Why did Meta ask for five more days?
It received material from Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign on Friday that it says needs review. It also said the 24-hour deadline was short for a full answer.
What did X find?
X reviewed 58 hashtags and about 8.2 million posts, and said bots and fake accounts did not drive the activity. It also suspended 12,454 accounts after finding some inauthentic behaviour.
When is the Brazil runoff?
Brazilians vote on Sunday 25 October between President Lula and Senator Flávio Bolsonaro. The winner takes office as president for a four-year term.
Sources: Brasil de Fato, 23 October 2026; Brasil 247, 23 October 2026; Agenda do Poder, 23 October 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief