The court sentenced Telegram to a fine of one million reais (around 180,000 euros) per day for ignoring requests from the authorities as part of investigations into neo-Nazi activities in online networks. In addition, the “temporary suspension” of the online service was ordered, the court announced on Wednesday.
“There are groups called ‘Anti-Semitic Front’ and ‘Anti-Semitic Movement’ that are active in these networks and we know they are at the heart of the violence against our children,” he added, referring to a spate of attacks on schools .
Google and Apple must block app
On Wednesday, several Telegram users said they could no longer use the messaging app after local operators complied with the ruling. Google and Apple were also instructed to ban the app.
According to the Federal Court’s ruling, with reference to police authorities, Telegram shows a clear intention not to cooperate with the investigation. Brazil’s Federal Police confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that an attempt to block Telegram is already underway.
Violence in schools is increasing
The development comes as the country is grappling with a spate of attacks on schools, including one in November, in which a 16-year-old with a swastika on his vest killed four people in the small town of Aracruz, Espirito Santo state shot and twelve wounded. The news portal G1 reported, citing police sources, that the teenager had communicated with anti-Semitic groups on Telegram.
Messenger Telegram
Telegram has been under criticism for some time. The online service has a reputation for allowing any and all content without moderation. The size of groups and the forwarding of messages are almost unlimited. This has attracted actors, especially during the coronavirus pandemic, who have been banned from platforms like YouTube and Facebook for misinformation or hateful content.
Since 2000, there have been nearly two dozen attacks or violent incidents in schools in Brazil, half of them in the last 12 months. In March, a 13-year-old killed a teacher in a knife attack at a school in Sao Paulo. In early April, a man killed four children between the ages of four and seven at a kindergarten in the southern town of Blumenau. There were two other non-fatal school attacks that same week.
According to the federal judiciary in Espirito Santo, investigators had asked Telegram for user data from members of two anti-Semitic groups on the platform. The company only handed over data about the administrator of one of the groups and, according to the authority, was not ready “to cooperate with the ongoing investigation”.
Social network a “no man’s land”
The Brazilian government has made efforts to curb violence in schools, focusing in particular on the allegedly harmful influence of social networks. The regulation of social media platforms was a recurring theme at a meeting earlier this month between President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, his ministers, Supreme Court justices, governors and mayors.
Speaking at the April 18 meeting, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes called social media a “no man’s land” where users can still get away with actions and speech that are illegal in real life, saying that regulation is necessary. Lula also spoke out in favor of regulation.
Lockdown ordered once
Last year, de Moraes ordered a nationwide shutdown of Telegram because the company failed to cooperate with authorities. He said in his decision that Telegram had repeatedly ignored requests from authorities, including a police request to ban profiles and provide information about a user, and gave Apple, Google and Brazilian phone companies five days to ban Telegram from their platforms.
At the time, one of Telegram’s operators issued a statement saying it was a misunderstanding due to an outdated email address. He subsequently apologized to the Supreme Court for his negligence. The platform has not been shut down.
Far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro and his allies encouraged their supporters to join Telegram after January 2021. At the time, the US Capitol was stormed by supporters of former US President Donald Trump. Trump was then banned from the news platform Twitter.
