Meta failed to block over half of test election disinformation ads in Brazil

An experiment conducted by Amnesty International has revealed that Meta’s moderation systems failed to intercept more than half of the election-related disinformation advertisements submitted for approval on Facebook. Ahead of the Brazilian presidential elections, the organization submitted 15 test advertisements in Portuguese, 14 of which contained disinformation.

Out of the 14 deceptive ads, Facebook’s system approved eight. The remaining seven were not rejected but were instead flagged for identity verification due to their connection to social, political, or electoral topics. The disinformation used in the tests included narratives aimed at undermining trust in electoral institutions, portraying political opponents or courts as enemies, and promoting military intervention.

Jurema Werneck, Executive Director of Amnesty International Brazil, described the results as ‘deeply alarming,’ stating that the failure shows Meta is not doing enough to prevent its platform from becoming a vehicle for disinformation while continuing to profit from systems that allow its spread.