Meta denied the allegations but admitted that technical errors had mistakenly deactivated some of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s campaign adverts. (AFP pic)BRASILIA: Brazil's electoral court ruled Tuesday that Meta had to pay a fine of about US$1.3 million for failing to comply with court orders after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva alleged the tech giant tipped the scales toward his rival Flavio Bolsonaro during the latest presidential election.
Leftist leader Lula had accused Meta of "algorithmic manipulation" favouring Bolsonaro in the run-up to the Oct 25 runoff vote, in which he surprisingly prevailed despite coming in second during the first-round ballot.
The Superior Electoral Court (TSE) unanimously ruled to impose a fine of 7.5 million reais (around US$1.3 million) on Meta, the parent company of Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram, finding the company missed deadlines and lacked transparency in its investigation.
