On Saturday, April 29, a Brazilian judge overturned the country’s suspension of online messaging service Telegram after a federal court ruled it had recently failed to provide authorities with data on neo-Nazi groups active on the platform.
The Magistrate held that this suspension was not nationwide “not fair”Because it affects “Freedom of communication for thousands of people unrelated to the investigated facts”The Rio de Janeiro-based Federal Regional Court-2 said in a statement.
However, the trial judge upheld the daily fine of 1 million reais ($198,000) imposed on the company until he provided the requested information.
Federal police and the Brazilian prosecutor’s office have asked Telegram to provide them with the personal data of all members of the Brazilian Antisemitic Movement and Antisemitic Front organizations, which officials say are linked to attacks on schools in recent months.
A popular app for Bolsonaro supporters
In November 2022, a 16-year-old killed four people and injured a dozen more at two schools in Espirito Santo state in southeastern Brazil. young man “Belongs to extremist groups on Telegram where neo-Nazi content and tutorials on murder and making explosive devices and videos of violent deaths are shared”The court said.
The British Virgin Islands-registered company based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, argued in a statement on Thursday that the requested information. “Technically unobtainable” He also announced that he would appeal.
In March 2022, a judge of Brazil’s Supreme Court had already threatened to block Telegram. “Failure to Comply with Judicial Orders”including a request to suspend the account of Alan dos Santos, a blogger who supports far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is under investigation for misinformation.
Brazil is one of the key markets where Telegram is trying to gain share against its rival, WhatsApp, which is used by almost the entire population. The application was and remains widely used, especially by supporters of Jair Bolsonaro: the former president has more than a million subscribers on the platform, where he is still active.