TSE Orders Removal of Posts Against Flávio Bolsonaro Amid Allegations of Online Misinformation

The 2026 election campaign involving Flávio Bolsonaro has come under scrutiny amid allegations of online misinformation and legal actions by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE). Bolsonaro’s campaign accused André Janones, a political opponent, of deleting 219 posts from the WhatsApp group “Exército do Lula” within 18 minutes to erase traces of false information about social welfare programs, specifically Bolsa Família and pensions. These messages contained links to misleading videos that had garnered around 4 million views. The TSE’s Special Advisory for Combating Disinformation reported that due to the rapid deletion of these messages, it was unable to confirm the presence of alleged fake news, acknowledging that posts from September were also not examined. Bolsonaro’s campaign has retained copies of the deleted posts and plans to submit them for a new technical report to the TSE.

Simultaneously, TSE minister Marco Aurélio Bellizze issued an order for Fonasefe, a union entity active on Instagram, to remove posts opposing Bolsonaro's candidacy within 24 hours. This order, partially responding to a request from Bolsonaro's campaign, is based on electoral laws that prohibit advertising on pages owned by legal entities, regardless of whether the promotion is paid or free. Bellizze emphasized that Fonasefe functions as an institutional channel for union groups and mandated that Meta, the platform hosting the content, must also take down the posts if they remain online. He further ordered the preservation of data regarding the posts’ reach and sharing. This decision is pending review by the TSE plenary, with Fonasefe able to present a defense and the Electoral Public Ministry providing its opinion.

These developments highlight ongoing tensions in Brazil’s 2026 elections regarding the spread of misinformation and the legal boundaries of campaign communication on social media platforms. The TSE's active involvement underscores efforts to monitor and regulate election-related content to ensure fair campaigning. Bolsonaro’s campaign appears intent on leveraging evidence of alleged misinformation tactics by opponents, while also seeking legal means to curb negative posts against its candidate.