Meta employees say Lula's accounts were restricted during Brazil's election

A Brazilian daily newspaper has reported on internal messages from Meta employees. Meta owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The messages relate to the election period in Brazil and say that accounts belonging to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva were restricted.

According to the messages, the platform at the same time recommended Bolsonaro's profile and his WhatsApp channel to users. The source gives no further detail on what kind of restrictions were applied, how long they lasted or why they were introduced.

Recommendation systems and account restrictions on social networks can shape what content users see during an election. The content of the messages may therefore matter to the debate about the role of platforms in elections.

The report is based on messages published by the Brazilian newspaper. The source text does not say whether Meta has commented on the claims.