A federal court ordered a temporary ban on Telegram in Brazil after the messaging service refused to share information about neo-Nazi groups with the country’s Federal Police.
(Bloomberg) — A federal court ordered a temporary ban on Telegram in Brazil after the messaging service refused to share information about neo-Nazi groups with the country’s Federal Police.
The company will be fined 1 million reais ($197,600) per day until it complies with the court order, according to the decision.
“There are groups there called anti-Semitic fronts operating on these networks,” Justice Minister Flavio Dino told journalists on Wednesday. “We know that this is at the root of violence against our children and adolescents.”
The Federal Police requested access to Telegram as part of an investigation into a November school shooting in the city of Aracruz, the authorities said.
The order against the Dubai-based social media platform follows a widening clampdown on so-called fake news and hate speech online by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s administration. Earlier this month, Elon Musk’s Twitter was condemned by both government officials and regular Brazilians for resisting initial calls to police content and accounts that promoted violence in schools.
Read More: Twitter Clashes With Brazil Over School Violence Posts
Nearly two-thirds of Brazilian smartphone users have downloaded Telegram, according to one recent survey. As of Wednesday afternoon, it was still operating and available in online stores like Google Play.
This is not the first time the company has run afoul of Brazilian authorities. Last year, a Supreme Court judge briefly banned the platform, which boasts over 700 million monthly users worldwide, after it failed to respond to orders to take down posts and channels accused of spreading misinformation.
Then, Telegram worked quickly to comply with the demands, claiming it had missed emails. And two days after the court ordered Internet providers and app stores remove Telegram, the court reversed the ban — essentially before it took effect.
Read More: Brazil’s Top Court Lifts Ban on Telegram After Content Removal
“Platforms must collaborate with society in preventing violent acts caused by extremists. Brazil is not a land without law,” Paulo Pimenta, the government’s communications minister, said in a tweet.
Telegram did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent to its communications team.
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