Foul play and the power of algorithms as Brazil nears presidential run-off

Middle East / 29 October 2026 Netanyahu alleges foreign interference in Israeli elections 29 October 2026 East Asia / 29 October 2026 China in record-breaking exports of clean energy 29 October 2026 East Asia / 29 October 2026 South Korean prosecutor pushes for death penalty for impeached ex-President Yoon 29 October 2026 China / 29 October 2026 Hong Kong’s housing minister resigns after fire investigation 29 October 2026 The Americas / 28 October 2026 Defeated Bolsonaro flees to Miami as Trump rejects Brazil election result 28 October 2026 Latin America / 28 October 2026 Cuba hits back at US slurs during UN blockade debate 28 October 2026 ALARM is spreading over alleged electoral interference by US tech giants in Brazil’s election as the huge South American country heads for a presidential run-off this weekend.

With socialist incumbent Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva facing far-right challenger Flavio Bolsonaro, son of jailed ex-president Jair and backed by US President Donald Trump, the stakes are high.

But the integrity of the process has now been repeatedly questioned, with President Lula filing a petition with the electoral court on Wednesday asking for Mr Bolsonaro to be disqualified for “abuse of economic power and improper use of social networks.”

The same day the UN special rapporteur on freedom of expression issued a report expressing concern at apparent discrepancies between the candidates’ ability to reach followers on platforms owned by Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook.

“Information, including from Meta employees, suggests that accounts linked to one side of the presidential race were disproportionately curtailed,” the report says. Meta denies any intervention on behalf of either candidate, but Brazil’s electoral high court has already ruled it will be fined $200,000 a day until it provides evidence it treats the candidates equally.

The race has drawn attention to the enormous power now wielded by privately owned, US-based digital comms platforms that straddle the planet.

On this side of the Atlantic, Sinn Fein national chair Declan Kearney said the case was “deeply alarming.

“Meta exercises a total monopoly on how its Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, Threads and WhatsApp platforms engage with its users.

“It is very disturbing that there are increasing allegations of ‘bias algorithms and AI restrictions’ being used to prevent the electorate from accessing objective information and messaging.”

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