Brazil's Election Authority Threatens To Ban Telegram If It Doesn't Comply To Fight Hoaxes

Telegram is the second largest messaging app in Brazil. (photo; doc. unsplash)

JAKARTA - Brazil's Electoral Authority, the TSE, is considering whether to ban the messaging app Telegram during and ahead of the October election because it has not responded to requests to help combat the spread of misinformation.

Telegram, which has a development team based in Dubai, is Brazil's second most popular messaging service but has no representative office in the South American country.

The chairman of the TSE Electoral Court, Luis Roberto Barroso, has been trying since mid-December to meet with Telegram's Executive Director and Founder, Pavel Durov, to discuss how to combat the spread of false information on the platform.

"No relevant actor in the 2022 electoral process can operate in Brazil without adequate legal representation, responsible for complying with national laws and court decisions," Barroso said in a statement Thursday, January 20.

Barroso noted that Brazil's TSE, or KPU, has forged partnerships with nearly all major social media platforms to curb fake news and the spread of conspiracy theories about the legitimacy of Brazil's electoral system.

Telegram did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters. According to the TSE, 53% of phones in Brazil currently use the Telegram app.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is from the far right, has 1 million subscribers or followers on Telegram. The president's allies turned to the app after other platforms, such as Meta Platforms Inc's WhatsApp, including Facebook and Instagram, removed some of its posts.

The TSE warned that they would discuss the steps to be taken in early February, highlighting that there should be no exceptions regarding platforms operating in Brazil.

Last week, complaints against Telegram also emerged from Germany. If in Brazil it is more related to politics, then in Germany, many hoaxes related to COVID-19 are exposed on Telegram.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said they could shut down Telegram if the messaging service, which is popular with far-right groups and those who oppose restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, continues to violate German laws.