The Pulse
Brazil’s Election Court Seeks Answers From Meta Over AI Campaign Images
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s campaign filed new evidence with the Superior Electoral Court after Meta AI blocked some requests for Lula campaign images but generated similar material for Flávio Bolsonaro. The court had al
AI.info Team · Written with AI ·
Meta AI blocked a request for a “Lula 13” campaign poster but generated one for “Flávio 22,” according to tests reported by Folha de S.Paulo. On Wednesday, October 14, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s campaign submitted the results to Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court, renewing its accusation that Meta’s platforms treat the rival candidates unequally.
The tests concerned Meta AI, available through WhatsApp. Folha reported that its correspondents in the United States, Argentina and Germany could generate Lula posters from accounts using non-Brazilian phone numbers, while accounts linked to Brazilian numbers were blocked—even when used abroad. The report says Meta AI continued to generate images prompted with “Vote Flávio” after the company described additional safeguards, but refused similar requests for Lula or Luiz Inácio.
New AI tests enter an earlier court case
The October 14 filing adds the image-generation tests to a broader dispute over the reach and treatment of Lula campaign content on Meta services. The campaign alleges that Meta’s systems have restricted its posts and favored Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, Lula’s opponent in the October 25 runoff. Those accusations remain claims by the campaign, not findings by the court.
The TSE had already ordered Meta to provide technical explanations and preserve records in response to the campaign’s earlier complaint, filed before the new AI evidence emerged. The court’s requests covered moderation records, advertising data and metrics, including possible restrictions on Lula’s official accounts, changes to video-view metrics and the deactivation of a campaign advertising account. The court also asked whether its rules for recommending election content were applied equally to both campaigns.
In its earlier response to the court, Meta rejected the campaign’s allegations, saying there was no technical evidence to support them and that election integrity was a priority. The company told Folha that Brazilian election rules led it to temporarily prohibit candidate recommendations and images. It said the tool generated material featuring Flávio because it failed to recognize prompts using only his first name, and said it had added measures to block prompts using candidates’ first names and ballot numbers.
Meta attributes the mismatch to a filter
Meta AI itself attributed the inconsistent results to an automatic safety filter, Folha reported. The testing also found that the distinction followed the phone number’s country code rather than the user’s physical location: Brazilian numbers received refusals abroad, while accounts with foreign numbers could produce Lula images. That pattern raised questions about how Meta’s election restrictions were implemented, but the tests do not by themselves establish why the system behaved differently.
Meta says its temporary restriction applies to recommending candidates and generating images of them, and that it took additional steps after the issue came to light. The campaign says the disparity undermines equal treatment. Its new filing asks the court to consider the AI results alongside its other allegations against the company.
The campaign wants a tougher response
Camilo Santana, a senator and one of Lula’s campaign coordinators, said the campaign planned to present evidence to accredited foreign election observers on October 15. “Estamos cobrando que precisa ter respostas e endurecer a posição do TSE junto à Meta,” he told Folha, calling for answers and a tougher stance from the court toward Meta.
The TSE’s earlier order sought technical records and explanations before it considered the campaign’s urgent requests. The October 14 filing adds Meta AI’s uneven poster-generation results to the material before the court; the claim that the company’s systems favored Bolsonaro remains an allegation the court has yet to resolve.