Brazil’s Top Court Fines Meta but Finds No Proof of Deliberate Election Tampering

Court Imposes Penalty on Meta

Brazil’s highest electoral tribunal, the TSE, has levied a fine of 7.5 million reais, roughly $1.34 million, against Facebook for falling short of judicial directives tied to the recent presidential runoff. The decision, handed down on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, was reached unanimously by the bench.

The judges, however, stopped short of accusing the company of manipulating the vote. Justice Marco Aurelio Bellizze, writing the ruling, said the record showed technical faults that Facebook itself had acknowledged, yet nothing that would allow a preliminary finding of purposeful action aimed at skewing the election.

The Complaint Behind the Case

The dispute began with a complaint from the coalition backing leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, filed before the ballot. It accused the platform of limiting how its posts reached users, of tolerating activity from accounts that appeared inauthentic, of missing AI-generated material, and of running its tools in ways that disadvantaged his side and favoured right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro.

Lula went on to win re-election, defeating Bolsonaro in the runoff even though Bolsonaro had drawn more votes in the first round. Bolsonaro has since left for the United States with his family.

Meta’s Position and the Court’s Findings

Earlier, Meta had assured the court that it had introduced steps to treat both campaigns equally. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the company said it follows Brazilian electoral law, applies identical rules to every candidate and party, and intends to keep contesting the allegations in the pending legal proceedings.

The tribunal’s assessment was less favourable. It concluded that Meta had either not carried out some of the orders, had completed them only in part, or had acted after the deadlines expired. The judge said the fine took into account the company’s conduct as a whole, including late replies, incomplete material, and the difficulty of checking some of the data it supplied.

How the Fine Was Calculated

The total is made up of two stages. Between October 17 and 19, daily penalties of 500,000 reais applied. From October 20 to 25, the amount rose to 1 million reais each day for six days.

Background and What Next

Lula has repeatedly promised to tighten the rules governing social media in Brazil. In his victory speech he referred to outside interference reaching the election through digital platforms, saying such platforms will have to be regulated. The court’s ruling leaves open the possibility of further proceedings should more robust evidence of deliberate conduct emerge, a matter the judge said would have to be pursued through the proper legal channels.