Presidential Election in Brazil: Interference and Manipulation by Transtional BigTech Giants

Press release – CETIM
Geneva, October 21, 2026

CETIM is deeply concerned about foreign interference and the manipulation of information flows in the ongoing electoral process in Brazil by transnational BigTech giants. These constitute a danger to democracy and threaten the enjoyment of human rights.

Indeed, the university research laboratory NetLab UFRJ [1], as well as investigations by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) [2], have demonstrated that the algorithms of the digital giant Meta have disproportionately amplified targeted smear campaigns and narratives of electoral fraud originating from the networks of candidate Flavio Bolsonaro, representative of the Brazilian far right. Meanwhile, the official and advertising accounts linked to his opponent, the incumbent President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, have suffered visibility restrictions and broadcasting blocks that Meta itself was forced to acknowledge as “technical anomalies.”

In parallel, audits by NGOs such as Amnesty International [3] have revealed that Meta’s advertising system continued to approve and monetize ads conveying blatant electoral disinformation, illustrating a systemic moderation failure that directly distorts public debate and undermines the free formation of voters’ opinions.

The hegemony of digital transnational monopolies like Meta over the Brazilian democratic debate illustrates the failure of self-regulation. By allowing algorithms – designed to maximize advertising profit – to amplify disinformation and distort the popular vote, these entities flout the fundamental rights of the Brazilian population. This includes those guaranteed by Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which protects the right of citizens to vote in “genuine” and “free” elections, as well as Article 23 of the American Convention on Human Rights, which enshrines the “free expression of the will of the voters.”

Faced with the structural impunity of Big Tech (GAFAM) and ineffective voluntary codes of conduct, it is imperative to urgently adopt a UN legally binding instrument on transnational corporations and human rights, to establish mechanisms of prevention of human rights violations and, where necessary, legal liability and accountability of these entities. It is a matter of subjecting the digital infrastructures and algorithms to democratic and legal control in order to prevent private interests from arrogating the power to subvert state sovereignty and the right of peoples to self-determination.

[1]https://netlab.eco.ufrj.br/post/meta-lucra-com-an%C3%BAncios-irregulares-promovidos-por-redes-coordenadas-para-influenciar-as-elei%C3%A7%C3%B5es-no
[2] https://www.tse.jus.br/comunicacao/noticias/2026/Outubro/tse-ouve-meta-sobre-aprimoramento-de-medidas-para-enfrentamento-da-desinformacao-na-reta-final-das-eleicoes
[3] https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/08/brazil-election-disinformation/