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Meta Ignores Brazilian Court Order to End Bolsonaro Favoritism

What HN thinks

A thread where everyone agrees the algorithm is biased, just never in the same direction.

Random-number evidence is laughable
Many mocked the LLM picking 13 and 22 as numerology, noting LLMs aren't random number generators and two trials prove nothing.
Stronger evidence exists, take it seriously
Others said the weakest example was cherry-picked, pointing to Meta AI producing Bolsonaro campaign material unprompted, Lula account suspensions, and inflated reach for right-wing figures; Meta ignoring a court order is itself the story.
Engagement algorithms, not conspiracy
A camp argued ragebait-optimised ranking and organic popularity explain the skew, and that everyone thinks big tech is against their side; others replied that even unintended bias in opaque algorithms needs regulating.

Consensus: No real consensus; most accept the numerology example is weak, but split sharply on whether Meta is deliberately biased or just amplifying engagement, and on whether foreign platforms should be regulated or blocked.

Recommended in the comments

The Age of Surveillance Capitalism (book): Recommended as background on why platforms push polarizing content.
Mastodon (product): Floated as a basis for European sovereign, federated social media.

Summarised by Claude from the comment thread 18 hours ago.

Points: 403
Comments: 320
Best rank: #1
Posted: 2026-10-25 by vrganj
Category: Politics policy

meta brazil-elections electoral-court meta-ai lula flavio-bolsonaro platform-bias

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