O Telegram released this Tuesday afternoon (9) a message in which it stands against the PL 2.630/2020, popularly known as the Fake News PL. The mass shooting took place through the official messenger channel on the platform itself, even involving the names of Google and Meta in the move and should generate a notification from the National Consumer Secretariat (Senacon).
What does Telegram say?
In the message full of catchphrases, the application accuses the censorship bill and claims that “democracy is under attack in Brazil” and accuses the PL of transferring “judicial powers to applications” by charging companies to monitor and remove air illegal content posted by its users.
In Telegram’s view, Brazil already has laws to address criminal activities and the new legislation would aim to “circumvent this legal structure, allowing a single administrative entity to regulate speech without independent and prior judicial supervision.”
Still according to the messenger, the new legislation could force the program to leave the country. “If approved, companies with Telegram may have to stop providing services in Brazil”, says the note.
To reinforce the argument, Telegram also cites the positioning of Google and Meta, also against the approval of the measure.
Meta and Google respond
Shortly after the release of the note, the two giants released statements saying that they did not authorize the inclusion of their names in the Telegram message or endorse the content presented by it.
Check out the target note:
“We learned through news in the press this Tuesday, May 9, 2023, that the Telegram application sent a message to users in Brazil regarding PL 2630/2020, which is pending in the National Congress. Meta refutes the use of its name by Telegram in said message, and denies the allegations in the text”, says Meta.
Check the note from Google:
“This Tuesday, May 9, we were informed that the messaging app Telegram had sent an alert to its users about Bill 2630/2020 (PL/2630). In the text, we are cited without any authorization and we do not recognize its content”, says Google.
Senacon will notify Telegram
Through his Twitter profile, the national secretary of consumer protection Wadih Damous said that Senacon will notify Telegram for what he considers an imbalance of forces in the debate on the subject.
Telegram vs. Justice
It is worth mentioning that the relationship between Telegram and the Brazilian Justice has not been smooth for some time. The app was already considered a “great challenge” in the fight against fake news during the elections by the Superior Electoral Court and proved to be unfriendly in reinforcing the fight against fake news during the electoral period. The program was blocked in Brazil in early 2022.
More recently, the messenger created by Pavel Durov claimed that it was impossible to collaborate with investigations into the presence of neo-Nazi groups on the platform. This also led to the app being suspended for more than 24 hours in the country.
What is PL 2.630/2020?
The Fake News PL proposes that internet companies monitor and remove illegal and criminal content published on their platforms and, as a last resort, be held responsible for maintaining these materials. In case of non-compliance, companies can pay fines of up to R$ 1 million per hour.
O Canaltech prepared a special indicating who is in favor and who is against PL 2.630/2020 and also the arguments presented by both sides. check out the announcement from Telegram in full.
