# Brazil electoral court social media litigation

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/brazil-electoral-court-social-media-litigation
> Updated: 2026-09-22T21:28:43.000Z. Sources: 14. Developments: 3.

The Superior Electoral Court (TSE) in Brazil is addressing various legal challenges involving social media usage and electoral regulations.

Initially, the TSE ordered Instagram to provide registration and financial transaction data for a leader of the Acadêmicos de Niterói samba school. This procedural step was taken to facilitate a summons regarding an electoral lawsuit filed by the Missão party against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the Workers' Party, and the samba school following a parade float honoring the president.

Subsequently, the Lula presidential campaign filed legal action against Senator Flávio Bolsonaro and Alfredo Gaspar. The petition alleges the misuse of Instagram ‘collabs’ to bypass propaganda regulations and abuse economic power. Monitoring efforts identified 1,826 co-authored posts involving 492 profiles, with a high concentration of activity occurring within a ten-day window. The complaint claims these profiles were used to monetize content by directing followers to a Shopee store to purchase campaign merchandise, such as hats featuring the number 22. The coalition is seeking the revocation of the candidates' registrations and an eight-year period of ineligibility, requesting that the TSE order Meta and Shopee to preserve data and identify the responsible individuals.

In response, the legal team for Flávio Bolsonaro and Alfredo Gaspar filed a complaint against President Lula, alleging the improper use of public resources and institutional structures for electoral promotion. The filing targets two mid-September events—a visit to the Eurofarma industrial complex and a public security agenda at the Federal Highway Police complex—arguing they were promoted through official government channels in violation of rules regarding institutional advertising. This marks the 14th representation filed by the Bolsonaro campaign in five months regarding the alleged irregular use of government structures.

## Claims

- Lula's coalition filed an action in the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) against Flávio Bolsonaro and Alfredo Gaspar. (corroborated by 9 sources)
- The petition alleges the use of Instagram 'collabs' to bypass electoral rules and promote candidacies. (corroborated by 9 sources)
- Monitoring identified 1,826 Instagram posts involving 492 collab profiles. (corroborated by 9 sources)
- Twelve profiles with a combined following of over 10 million followers allegedly directed users to a Shopee store to sell campaign products. (corroborated by 8 sources)
- The legal action seeks the revocation of the presidential ticket and eight years of ineligibility for the candidates. (corroborated by 7 sources)

## Timeline

### 2026-09-22: Flávio Bolsonaro files TSE complaint against Lula

Flávio Bolsonaro's campaign has filed a complaint with Brazil's TSE against President Lula, alleging the improper use of public resources and government channels for electoral promotion.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/flvio-bolsonaro-files-tse-complaint-against-lula

### 2026-09-19: Flávio Bolsonaro faces TSE legal action over alleged Instagram 'collab' misuse

Lula's campaign has petitioned the TSE to revoke Flávio Bolsonaro's candidacy, alleging illegal use of Instagram 'collabs' and unauthorized monetization of campaign products to bypass electoral rules.

11 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/brazil-parallel-lula-campaign-led-by-ngo-owner-involves-ministry-of-culture-officials

### 2026-08-31: TSE orders Instagram to provide data for Acadêmicos de Niterói leader

Brazil's TSE ordered Instagram to provide data for a leader of the Acadêmicos de Niterói samba school to facilitate a legal summons regarding an electoral lawsuit involving President Lula.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/tse-orders-instagram-to-provide-data-for-acadmicos-de-niteri-leader

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Cite as: Brazil electoral court social media litigation. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/brazil-electoral-court-social-media-litigation