The social media accounts of presidential candidate Renan Santos (Missão) spent more than ten days of the campaign outside the filter that Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE) requires platforms to apply to candidates' profiles. The story was reported by Folha de S.Paulo, so far the only outlet to cover the case. In practice, Renan's Instagram, YouTube and TikTok accounts could be recommended to users who do not follow him, while his rivals' accounts remained restricted.

Under a TSE rule from 2024, platforms must exclude profiles declared by candidates to the electoral courts from their recommendation algorithms. In practice, that prevents a network from showing a candidate's posts to people who do not follow the account.

Renan Santos registered his candidacy on August 7 and declared only his profile on X (formerly Twitter) and a website, according to Folha. The campaign officially began on August 16. Three days later, on August 19, the candidate's legal team asked the court to include the other accounts.

The request stalled. Until early Thursday evening (27), the profiles remained outside the TSE database and the candidate's official page on DivulgaCand, the court's public registry of candidates. According to Folha, the case moved only after the newspaper contacted the court on Thursday afternoon. At 7 p.m., a document certifying the request to add the accounts was attached to the case.

Electoral advertising rules require profiles to be reported when the candidacy is registered. Accounts created during the campaign must be reported within 24 hours. Pre-existing profiles not reported on time can only be used in the campaign 48 hours after registration with the electoral courts. Folha contacted Renan Santos' campaign and received no reply.

The next step lies with the platforms. Even with the TSE database updated, applying the filter to Renan's accounts depends on each social network updating its own systems. Until then, the Missão candidate keeps a recommendation reach his rivals do not have. The first round of the election is on October 4.