30 million Brazilian adults consider Meta’s Instagram or Facebook platforms their primary news source, whilst their WhatsApp messenger is the most used software in Brazil. The US company has enormous and unprecedented power to influence elections at the will of the United States. – Brasilwire
Meta investigation comes after more than a thousand complaints of profiles restricted during the 2026 elections. Company has five days to explain restrictions that affected journalists, social movements and pro Lula accounts. Cases will be sent to the Electoral Prosecutor’s Office.
By Cleber Lourenço for ICL
The Federal Public Ministry (MPF) opened a procedure to investigate blockages, removals of publications and restrictions imposed by Meta, owner of Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, during the 2026 elections. The measure was taken on Tuesday (13), after civil society organizations gathered 1,121 reports of users who had their activities limited on the platforms, including journalists, student entities, social movements and supporters of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).
The company will have five days to explain the reasons, duration and criteria used in the restrictions. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office of Citizens’ Rights (PFDC), responsible for the investigation, also determined the referral of the cases to the Electoral Attorney General’s Office, which may assess any consequences for the presidential race.
The decision was signed off by the deputy attorney general of the Republic Paula Bajer Fernandes, after representation presented by the organizations Article 19, Conectas Direitos Humanos, Sleeping Giants Brasil and CTRL+Z. Of the reports received, 72 episodes were selected for individualized analysis.
The MPF intends to clarify whether the restrictions resulted from Meta’s internal decisions, automated systems or judicial determinations. They also want to know what justifications were presented to users and if there was an effective possibility to contest the punishments.
Blockages hit journalists and social movements
The survey of the organizations points out that 36% of the reports involve a reduction in the reach of publications, while 32% concern the limitation of functionalities, such as impediments to share content or send messages. Another 22% report removals or bans.
Among those affected are pages of student entities from federal universities, unions, social and professional movements that use the networks to disseminate information and carry out their activities.
According to CTRL+Z, some of these accounts were restricted when they disclosed demonstrations in support of Lula. There are also complaints of political publications classified by the platform as content related to terrorism or child sexual exploitation, frameworks contested by those responsible for the posts.
Organizations question the lack of transparency about the criteria adopted by the company and point out difficulties in reversing punishments. In some cases, users claim not to have received specific explanations about the allegedly violated rules.
Flávio’s campaign asked for the suspension of profiles
The investigation takes place while Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign (PL-RJ) tries to obtain in the Electoral Court the suspension of accounts and the withdrawal of publications favorable to Lula.
In an action filed with the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), the campaign mapped a network of 1,525 Instagram profiles and asked for the temporary suspension of 32 accounts, as well as restrictions on publications made in collaboration between users.
A comparison between the survey of the organizations and the relationship presented by the campaign identified 16 accounts affected by Meta moderation measures that also appear in Flávio’s action.
Among the examples is the profile @eutocomlula, which, according to CTRL+Z, had the sending of messages restricted one week before the first shift. Subsequently, the account was included among the 32 profiles whose suspension was requested by the senator’s campaign.
The coincidence does not prove that the suspensions were caused by the campaign. The origin and chronology of the restrictions are among the points that still need to be clarified.
Eduardo Moreira also had his profile blocked
On Wednesday (14), economist Eduardo Moreira, founder of ICL, had his Instagram profile blocked during the early morning, after publishing a video about a conversation with Lula.
The account, with approximately 1.9 million followers, was recovered hours later. Moreira reported difficulties during the recovery procedure and said that his videos had reached more than 100 million views in the last week.
The episode occurred after the presentation of the representation to the MPF, but there is still no confirmation that it has been included in the investigation.
Also on Wednesday, ICL Notícias revealed that Meta’s artificial intelligence tool on WhatsApp refused requests to create images favorable to Lula, while accepting similar requests involving Flávio Bolsonaro. The difference in treatment was also identified in tests published by Folha de S.Paulo.
The MPF investigation may clarify whether the reported restrictions resulted from failures in the company’s systems, the application of its internal rules or court orders. The opening of the procedure does not yet represent a conclusion on the legality of the suspensions.
